



THEHENI^i^, 






m 




The BOOK of a 

THOUSAND GARDENS 




Being the True Accounts of the Trials and 
Tribulations and Successes in a dry year 
of something less than a Thousand Gar- 
dens in many States and Climates. :-: :-: 



As told in a hunch of letters to Henry Field by his loyal 

friends — his customers 



PRICE TWENTY- FIVE CENTS 



• » ' 

Published by 

THE HENRY FIELD SEED CO. 

SHENANDOAH. IOWA 



COPYRIGHT 1912. by HENRY FIELD SEED CO. 







HENRY FIELD 



INTRODUCTION 



In the spring of 1911 I announced a Garden Contest, a friendly 
contest among my customers; to encourage good gardening. I re- 
quested them to send in the stories of their gardens, true unvarnish- 
ed stories telling what they grew, how they grew it, what paid best, 
how big the garden was, what troubles they had, and how they over- 
came them. Also I asked them to send in some pictures if possible. 

These letters are the result. And they are the most interesting 
batch of letters I ever read. They are real heart to heart talks, 
tcld in their own language and in their own way. And the pictures 
— well you can look at them for yourself. 

Every garden was a real garden not a paper garden. The 
people were real people like you and I and our neighbors. There 
were men and women and boys and little girls and old bachelors. 
They were airgat'den cranks and garden lovers. 

You can learn more by a study of these letters than by reading 
all the text books in creation. You get the real stuff here. Real 
experience. 

The only trouble was, I run short of room in the book. It 
would have taken a book as big as Webster's Unabridged to hold 
them all in full. I simply had to whittle them down to fit the book. 
Some few I had to leave out altogether. The rest I had to just save 
here and there a paragraph. I hated to throw away so much good 
garden talk but it couldn't be helped. But there's plenty left as it 
is. Read it and see for yourself.— //£7Vf?r FIELD. 



/ 






. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




THE FIRST PRIZE WINNER. 

From ]. E. Butler, Lewiston, Idaho. 

We came to Lewiston in August, 1907, from South St. Joseph, Mo., where I had followed 
the house contracting business for a number of years. We first bought five acres, and then 
thought that was not 

enough, so we bought " ^ 

five acres more and now 

have ten acres, a little * 

over 600 feet square. 
The house, lawn, chicken 
pens, corral, etc., take 
up about one acre, so we 
have about nine acres in 

cultivation. One acre is ., ' ■' >-''■ 

planted to grapes, and 
the balance, except two 
acres on the back corner, 
are set to trees 20 feet Some of Henry Field's Big Pumpkins and Squashes 

apart, every other l:ee an apple with peach, pear, plum, etc., as fillers. When the fillers get 
to crowding the apples, we will take them out, which will leave the apple trees 40 feet apart. 
But at present we are raising our truck between the tree rows 20 feet apart, and generally 
have four rows in each land, except the little truck which is planted with the hand drill, we 
plant seven to eight rows. 

Products sold from the ten acres in 1911 were as follows: 

SALES BY MONTHS. 

January $ 29.15 

February 8.25 

March 31.50 

April 128.10 

May 149.50 

June 332.95 

July 319.35 

August 1 78.35 

September 246.85 

October 286.65 

November to date 1 8.45 

Total $1,729.10 




Taking out Celery 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




r- 



Iowa Field Corn. Some of Henry Field's Big Com. 

Largest week sales, June 12lli to 17th $ 96.25 

Largest days sales, July 3d 26.35 

We planted our first garden this year March 9th, and when it was gone raised a summer 
crop of green onions and lettuce, and expect to plant the same land again yet this fall to onions, 
spinach and lettuce which winter here all right. 

Being as we are 
raising trees and a crop 
of vegetables at the 
same time, we do con- 
siderable fertilizing with 
barnyard manure. Other- 
. wise, we would retard 
the growth of our trees, 
and we thoroughly work 
the manure through the 
soil so as to get good 
results right away. If I 
were to move back East 
again 1 would make it a 
point to mulch with ma- 
nure as much as possible, 
as every rain fertilizes 
the ground and the mulch 
holds the moisture, and 
the crops will be nearly twice as large. We got $100.00 from a row of Black Raspberries 
600 feet long that were heavily mulched. We found it paid us big for the time it took to 
mulch ou' corn, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, etc., after we laid them by. Of course, if you 
had 200 or 300 acres you couldn't very well do it, but where you have only five or ten acres 
and are doing intensive farming and expect big results, you will have to take advantage of all 
these things to get those results. 

The first land of cabbage we raised this year was nearly eaten up with green aphis, as we 




We also Raise Flowers. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




One of Our Loads for Market 



had a cold, backward spring which was good weather for aphis. We sprayed, dusted and 

worked with them, but the 

aphis seemed to be getting 

thicker all the time and we 

were just about to plow 

them up, when we thought 

we would try the chickens. 

We took an old hen and 

about 20 chickens back in 

the field and set the coop 

about in the middle of the 

rows, v/hich were 350 feet 

long, and it certainly done 

one's heart good to see the 

way they cleaned up those 

aphis, it seemed like those 

little chickens were going 

up and down those rows 

from daylight to dark look- 
ing for aphis, and it was 
certainly amusing to watch 
them. 

Celery, we find requires a very rich soil and a lot of good cultivation. We find it 
rather hard to grow in this dry climate. Golden Self Blanching is our favorite. 

We think c an t a - 
loupes, as a usual thing, 
are the easiest crop 
grown, the easiest on the 
ground, and bring about 
the best results. 

Potatoes, we plant 
about four feet apart, 
and our best yield was 
650 lbs. from a row 250 
feet long, at the rate of 
about 480 bu. per acre. 
Our potatoes were in- 
clined to grow large, but 
we are going to try to 
overcome that next year 
by cutting a single eye 
and planting real thick in 
the row. 

We have tried Field's 
Early June tomato for 
two years and find it a 




Husking some of Henry Field's Mexican Giant Corn 



fine tomato. The vines grow large and 
rank and full of tomatoes clear until 
frost. We picked a peck of green 
ones from one vine the middle of 
October. Tomatoes blighted badly this 
year, and we found they done the best ' 
in among the trees and next to the 
building. After it got to freezing, we 
gathered the green ones and put them 
in the house and let them ripen there. 
We are still eating tomatoes (Nov. 14) 
and expect to have them for some 
time yet. j 

In Lettuce, we find Hanson the 
best. We planted a lot last fall, which 




Have a Slice 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




Scmefliing Like Work, Cutting Up Some of Henry Field's Big Corn 

wintered over, and we sold it this spring at 1 5 cents per lb. And this spring we planted 
two rows 350 feet long from which we sold $24.00 worth at 5 cents per lb., besides feeding 
a few hundred pounds to the cow and chickens. Some of the heads weighed as much as 
/2 lbs. and were n:ce and white inside. We make it a rule, as fast as we get off one 
crop to get something else in right away and make the ground bring us some returni. 




Peaches In General 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




We have been buying all our seeds of Henry Field for five years, and like his seeds 
and manner of doing business fine. He seems more like a friend or acquaintance than a 
distant business man. 

Just a word about expense. I worked at my trade, carpentering, before the season 
opened, and am working again now; and will take in more money than I paid out for 
help, but you may be sure we work, and work to advantage. 

J. E. Butler, Leivision, Ida. 

A REMARKABLE GARDEN IN DAKOTA. 

From P. R. Culver, McNeely, S. D. 

I have lived in Chicago many years and this is my first attempt at gardening. I am 
much pleased with my success and want a much larger garden next year. Other gardeners 
are asking where I got my seed. One man 
was here yesterday who has three acres of onions, 
and he thinks my onions beat his. 

The total amount of the proceeds of my 
garden, which is a little less than seven-eighths 
of an acre, is $237.50. I cannot say exactly 
what has paid me best, for I have not kept 
itemized accounts of labor, etc., as I wish I 
had done and will do next year. I think that 
beets, turnips and radishes paid as well as any- 
thing. I raised as much as three crops of some 
of those things on the same ground. 

The ground was plowed last fall, again in 

the spring, and harrowed four times. 1 put some 

manure on it m the winter and might have put 

more on if I had not been afraid of the weed seed which is contained in horse manure. 

I kept it very clean and hoed it often. I want you to consider that this is new land 

only broke two years ago and is 

not yet in the best condition. 
Also, that 1 am 1 5 miles over 
rough roads to market, and that the 
town is small, only about 500 popu- 
lation. 1 could not always sell all 
that I had to sell, and could not 
afford to go to town often more 
than twice a week. If 1 had been 
near a good market, I could have 
made much more out of my garden. 

I have learned some things and 
think I can do much better next 
year. I mean to raise a much 
larger garden next year. 

We have not had a very 
good season. It has been much 

drier than we could wish. 




Winner of Second Prize in Garden Contest 




A Good Load of Vegetables from the Nevsr Country of S Dak. 
P. R. Culver and Wife, McNeely, S. Dak. 



1 placed tin cans, with a small hole in the bottom, filled with water in some of my 
cucumber and melon hills, but for the most part I ha" e depended on the hoe. The soil 
is a black sandy loam, and water is not more iSan 20 feet down, and hoeing helps a great 
deal. 1 have no tools except a common hoe and rake. I have had to sell and eat, lettuce, 
radishes, onions, beets, turnips, beans, peas, squashes, cucumbers, carrots, greens and sweet 
corn. 

Those who have seen it pronounced it the best and cleanest garden in the country. 



A SUCCESSFUL WOMAN GARDENER. 
From Mrs. Fannie M. Klinck., Clarksville, Iowa. 

I want to tell you about my garden. My object was to have plenty of vegetables, to 



8 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




make money by winning premiums af Fairs to pay for improvements on my home, and a 
knowledge cf the plant world. 1 count seed first in importance. This little quotation 
expresses it better than I can. 

"Mother Earth may offer her choicest cradle, the sun may lavish his brightest rays, the 

gentle showers flood down upon the 
balmiest wings of spring to nourish the 
infant plant; yet if this child of the 
first great cause has been touched by 
the blighting breath of decay, or is the 
off-spring of perverted parentage, all 
the kindly care of loving Nature aided 
by the hand of man, only emphasizes 
more strongly: Whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap.' " 

S e c o n d — Cultivation. Prepare a 
good seed bed, then keep hoeing and 
raking before the weeds start, or kill 
them when the roots look like tiny 
white threads. Keep the ground loose, 

ddn't let a crust form. 

.ADisplavof Farm and Garden Products at Iowa State Fair, ii 11 l j j l j 

by Mrs. Fannie M. Klinck, Clarksville, la., who tied 1 have worked very hard and my liands 

with J. E. Butler for First Place in the Garden Contest. are calloused and my face tanned. 1 have 

no time to do my hair up with rats, nor use talcum powder. Sometimes I fell like 
giving up, then I would remember 
that others were suffering from the 
drouth, too, and insect pests were 
everywhere. I would take the hoe 
or pans green can and keep work- 
ing while I hoped and prayed for 
rain. I have been amply repaid 
for it all. First, in the knowledge 
gained, for I have tried to raise 
samples of as many varieties as pos- 
sible and learn all about them. Have 
collected specimens of all the insects 
I could find which were injurious to 
our plants, also all noxious weeds 
and samples of their seeds. I have 
learned to pick out and name most of 
the weed seed found in grain, and of 
this, 1 am very proud and am getting 
more so as I find how few men can 
do so. 

I have won in premiums this year 
at Fairs, $306.00. This pays for 
drilling our well, a pump and wind- 
mill, and woven fence and gates for 
my garden and poultry yards. I 
have also won several articles of mer- 
chandise. 

Mrs. Fannie M. Klinck, 

C/ar^svi7/e, loJva. 




The First Preparation for tlie Garden— Making Out the 
Seed Order 



15 BUSHELS FROM 90 PLANTS. 

From Mrs. J. F. Duncan, Dederick, Missouri. 

I must praise your Early June tomatoes. They are fine. My Early June plants were 
set out in hills after the weather turned dry. 1 made a hole in the hill and set the plants 
in and put some dry dirt on the roots, poured water in and then filled the hole up with dry 
dirt. Twenty out of twenty-six bore fruit. The first blossoms that came on without any rain 
raised fifteen bushels off of 90 plants. Mrs. J. F. Duncan, Dederick, Missouri 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



GARDEN WAS LIKE AN OASIS IN THE DESERT— SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA. 



From F. S. Stevenson, Farnam, Nebraska. 

Our garden is located four miles from Farnam, 
in semi-arid- southwestern Nebraska. It was just 
simply a farmer's garden for home use. 1 put the 
seeds in with an Iron Age drill. Just as soon as 
I could see the rows and sometimes before the seeds 
came up, I began going over the garden with the 
Iron Age wheel hoe, going over it after each shower, 
or once a week if it did not rain — which it didn't. As 
soon as the cucumbers and beans came up, I sprayed 
them with bordeaux mixture. The flea beetles were 
treated to Bug Death to keep them from eating the 
radish tops. 




Vegetables grown in Southwestern 

Nebraska one of the Worst Years 

Ever Experienced. 




Early Ohio Potatoes grown on a High, Narrow 

Divide Semi-Arid Southwestern Nebraska. 

Cultivated Shallow after every shower. 

Potatoes on a Plate average 1 lb each. 



With all our other troubles, the dry 
weather came. Tender bean leaves cooked 
crisp. Of the peas, Fillbasket came out in 
the lead, having stood the drouth the best of 
all. The others, while the best of chewing, 
neither came up well nor withstood the drouth. 
On the pea ground, we first harvested rad- 
ishes, then peas. After the peas were picked 
we planted one row of cucumbers with two 
rows of turnips on each side. 

Although my garden was but a rem- 
nant of what it should have been, it was like 
an oasis in a desert compared to the others. 
The prices were, cukes two for 5c, lettuce 5c 



a bunch, radishes seven for 5c, beets three 
for 10c, beans and peas in pods, 30c a gal- 
lon. Five rows Field's First Early beans, 
60 feet long made $14.30, one row yielding 
one bushel at one picking and beans large 
enough to eat in 45 days from planting. Peas, 
four rows 60 feet, $6.55. Peas to eat in 
forty-two days from planting. Two rows of 
cukes sixty feet, $11.00. Had slicers ready 
to use July 2d from seed drilled May 6th. 
Beets two rows 60 feet, $4.50. Tomatoes 
II rows, 45 feet long, $10.00. Ate ripe 
ones in 92 days from drilling of seed. 
Radishes, $2.10. Had French Forcing rad- 
ishes to eat three weeks from planting. Salsify 
four rows, 60 feet, $10.00. lettuce, $8.50. 
Cabbage, 5 rows, 60 feet, $5.00. Field's 
First Early beans stands at the head as the 
most paying crop, rate per acre, $1,470.00. 
Cukes, next, and beets a close second. If 
one had a market for Simpson lettuce, it 
would lead, as it can be planted between 
tomato rows and takes up no space. 

F. S. Stevenson, Farnam, Nebraslia. 




Eclipse Beets and Farly White Vienna Kohl 
Rabi trown from Seeds P anted Aug. 1st. 



10 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



NOT A LARGE GARDEN BUT A MIGHTY GOOD ONE. 

From Mrs. M. L. Hunt, Kokomo, Indiana, 1115 N. Morrison Street. 

I am sixty- four, my son busy ten hours (sometimes longer) every day, no money to 
spare for hired work, yet I was ambitious for a garden. So I selected and spaded most 
thoroughly a spot about 4x20 feet. A friend gave me some strawberry plants, enough for 
almost half the ground. Then May 12th 1 received one dozen Senators and three Early 
June tomato plants from you. These last, I had a place across the center of the plow, 
the strawberries at the other end. The full length of one side in Henderson's Bush Lima. 
On the other side, four hills of Princess Watermelon. For lack of space, the tomatoes 
were framed up pretty high. 

The season was hot and dry, but I had heard of dry farming, and kept hoeing and 
hoeing. 

Well, we enjoyed about a dozen delicious sweet little watermelons. They grew from 
six to nine inches in diameter. The vines were remarked about for their beauty. The 
tomatoes, we had from July 22nd until frost Oct. 23rd. We planted also a few Earliest in 
the World, but those three plants were our standby. We canned off of them and ate them 
every day. 

I also rounded one end of my plot and filled it with your poppies, forgot the name. 
I should have written in August when I could sit on the steps of the back porch and see 
these. The garden was little, but I can't tell all the good it did us. My strawberry plants 
spread over almost the whole plot, so I hope the best is yet to come . 

Mrs. M. L. Hunt, 1115 N. Morrison St., Kokomo, Indiana. 



PLENTY TO EAT FROM A THIRD ACRE. 

From Mrs. Jesse Crook, Nebraska City, Nebraska. 

There is about one-third of an acre in my garden plot. I planted all I could with a 
drill, and when about three inches high, I scattered manure from the hen house over all 
of it. When the first planting of radishes, spinach and lettuce were too old to use, I hoed 
them out and replaced them with late beans. 

I have not sold anything from my garden yet, but will have a few parsnips, carrots 
and turnips to sell. I have canned two hundred and fifty quarts of tomatoes and one 
hundred and twenty-two quarts of beans from my garden. I have a bushel of popcorn, also, 
a gallon of cucumbers. I supplied some of my neighbors with vegetables from my garden. 
I have the very best in our neighborhood. And we used seed from Henry Field Seed 
Company. 

Mrs. Jesse Crook, Nebraska City, Nebraska. 



BEST GARDEN IN SHELBY COUNTY. 

From Mr. James A. Swango, 

Shelbyville, Indiana. 

I have got one of the finest gardens in Shelby 
County, if the dry weather was against me a little. 
I am sending you my picture and of my wife and 
two boys. They are all garden cranks. 

Everybody that goes along the road wants to 
know where I got my seeds and what made my 
garden grow so nice. I told them I got it from 
Henry Field Seed Company. I have about fifteen 
or twenty who wants me to send up there next spring 
for their seed. By that, you may know I have a 
fine garden. 

Mr. James A. Swango, Shelbyville, Indiana. 




James E. Swaneo and his Garden 
Helpers 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



11 



A BIG SUCCESS IN THE SAND HILL COUNTRY OF NEBRASKA. 
From Mrs. James Hall, St. Paul, Nebraska. 

This is the part of the country formerly known as the Great American Desert, now by 

the name of the sand hills of Nebraska. Our place is sixteen miles north of Grand Island. 
We planted about an acre to early vegetables. It gave great promise of an excellent yield, 

but about the 22d of April we had a severe sand storm lasting about four days, and on the 

18th of May a genuine 

blizzard finished our 

early prospect. We at 

once replanted and set 

and reset both cabbage 

and tomato plants, as it 

was very dry and un- 
favorable. Some places 

we set five times. 

On August 22d, we 

telephoned to a dealer 

in Grand Island what he 
was paying for large cu- 
cumbers and sweet corn. 

He said he had not 
bought any for a year 
but to be sure and see 
him first. I sent thirteen 
dozen slicers and forty 
dozen ears of corn and nine dozen muskmelons. Cucumbers brought 50c per dozen, corn 15c, 
and melons 80c and $1.00 per dozen. That was our first load. The dealer offered to send 
after the produce if we would sell exclusively to him. The next load was fifty dozen slicers, 
80 dozen corn and 1,700 pickles and 16 dozen melons. The distance is so great we don't 
go every day but go every other day. If we had been as wise as we are now, we could have 
sold some of your Princess watermelons, as they were ripe at this time, but we did not look 
for them to ripen so early and came near losing them by the oversight. 

We cut pickles until two weeks ago and could not supply the orders. We have the greatest 
yield of tomatoes. We pick about four or five bushel at a picking. Our late cabbage we 
set out on July 13th and some of the heads at the present time will weigh six or seven pounds. 
We thought it was too late to set very many. I sold several hundred cabbage plants and 
about 4,000 tomato plants. 

' Mrs. James Hall, 5/. Paul, Nehras^a. 




A Wonderful Collection ofVegetables grown in fie "f and Hill Country" 
of Northern Nebraska in the Dry Year. That's certainly going some. 



FIVE BUSHELS FROM THIRTY PLANTS. 

From Elijah E. Brown, Shannon City, Iowa. 

I planted the seeds in a little box the 27th of March, and they grew fine, and the sixth of 
May I set them out, and they grew belter than the other plants that were set out before. 
There were 30 plants and off the thirty plants they yielded five bushel of tomatoes. The 
onions grew strong and healthy, but the drouth killed them so I lost them. 

I planted Halbert Honey melons the tenth of May and they grew fine. I planted from 
six to eight seeds in a hill, and after the bugs had stopped working on the vines, I pulled them 
out to three to four in a hill. They yielded about 1,500 lbs. of melons. 

Elijah E. Brown, Shannon Ci7p, lorna. 

FINE OLD FASHIONED FLOWERS TOO. 

From S. A. Richardson, Winchill, Texas 

This year, I had some of the finest flowers I ever saw, according to the chance they had. 
My zinnia seed I ordered from you produced the finest blooms and stalks I ever saw. I had 
one zinnia that measured three feel across each way, was three feet four inches high, and had 
186 blooms on it that measured two inches across. I just simply thought it was the prettiest 
flower I ever saw. I would have loved to have had a picture of it for you, but it was iin« 
possible for me to get it. 

Mrs. S. a. Richardson, Winchill, Texas. 



12 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



sows EVERYTHING IN STRAIGHT ROWS. 

Chas. a. Meier, Miama Sta., Missouri. 

Although 1 am now sixty-four, I still enjoy to work and make a good garden, and what 

I learned to love in my boyhood days in the way of making garden is still a joy to me. 

For a family garden plenty big enough to 
have room for most everything good to eat, 
I would suggest two hundred feet long by 
one hundred feet wide, and as close to the 
house as convenient. The next thing needful 
for a good garden is a good fence around it. 
I split my own paling out of timber. 

I sow all my seed in straight rows. I 
make just a slight ridge with a garden plow, 
then I stretch a line and sow my seed. 1 
make my rows about a foot apart for lettuce, 
radishes, spinach, onions and all those smaller 
seeds. Peas, corn, butter beans, and all those 
bigger seeds, I plant from two to three feet 
apart. Although we had a severe drought 
this summer, our garden was the admiration 
of the neighborhood. Some of my neighbors 
said. How did you get your rows so straight." 
1 told them with a line. Others said, 'What 
do you do with all that garden." I tell them 
I find good sale for butter beans and tomatoes 
and on'.ons at all times. Strawberries always 
sell well. We have only a garden for family 
use, but we sell enough out of it to more than 
pay our outlay for seeds. 

Chas. A. Meier, Miami Sta., Missouri. 




Boone Co. White Corn. 12 Ears weighed 16 1-2 lbs. 




Pumpkins, Squashes, and Tomatoes from a Missouri Garden 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



13 



A CONNECTICUT BOY HAS A GOOD GARDEN. 

From Otto Baur, 14 Davis St., Danbury, Connecticut. 

The first thing I done to have a fine garden this year was to spade the ground thoroughly 
in the fall of 1910. Early in spring after I received what seeds I needed for the season 
from you, I made a plan, 
showing the space allowed 
for each vegetable, location 
of the different varieties, 
etc. My garden is divided 
in two sections. The size 
is 20x45 feel. 

I had only a small space 
to grow \egetables for mar- 
ket this year. My beets 
paid me better than carrots 
and onions. To keep my 
garden in good condition, I 
had to get up at 3:30 o'clock 
in the morning. I work in 
a grocery store from 7:00 
a. m. until 6:30 p. m. That 
left me about one hour to 
enjoy myself with a hoe A Good Garden in Connecticut, from Iowa seeils 

each day after coming home from work. I first became interested in gardening when I was 
fourteen years old. 1 am now seventeen. 

My entries this year at the Danbury Fair numbered forty-one. I received for premiums, 

$9.75. 

Otto Baur, 14 Davis St., Danbury, Conneclicut. 




IT PAYS BIG TO HAVE A GARDEN AND ORCHARD. 

From Mrs. Ella Lehr, Winston, Missouri. 

My garden is 83-99 feet. I have four cherry trees from which I canned 12 quarts and 
sold $5.25. Then five grape vines east of them, I canned five quarts and used all we could. 
Then I have a bed all around my garden, which is used for my pole beans and butter beans to 
run on the fence. 

The rest of my garden is one large bed with rows made straight by stretching a string 
across. I planted five rows of onions, mostly seed, two rows of radishes, one of lettuce, 
parsnips and salsify. One of beets, two of peas, one of celery and cucumbers, and the rest 
in cabbage and tomatoes. The celery and cucumbers were killed by the drouth, but the other 
things did fine. I had the first radishes, onions, and lettuce the fifth of May, and the first 
peas and beets the 28th of May. 

I sold 45c worth of cabbage, made 18 gallons of kraut, gave away 50 heads and have 
100 heads yet in the garden. Tomatoes, I canned 50 quarts, sold $14.27 worth, gave away 
4 bushel and have lots in my garden yet. Butter beans, I used all I could, shelled for 
winter about 25c worth, and have lots of them green yet in my garden. 

I used mostly Henry Fields good seeds, plant them as early as possible and tend them 
good. I don't know how to tell how much I raised, only I have a family of six, four boys 
from five years up to 21 years, so I have a good home market for garden. 

This is the exact truth about my garden. I had no time to take pictures. Excuse my 
not writing with ink. 

Mrs. Ella Lehr, IVinslon, Missouri. 



' LOTS OF FINE TOMATOES. 
From Geo. Klein, Kansas City, Missouri, 3136 Cleveland Ave. 

The garden was not a good success because of the drouth, but I raised lots of your fine 
tomatoes and sold $60.00 worth, and we still have tomatoes on the vines. We raised nice 
string beans and sold $30 00 worth, and the peas were all right, too. We sold $125.00 worth 
altogether, and would have sold more but we didn't have any rain. 



14 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 

Sorry I can't send some pictures, because 1 know it will make you feel bad. My garden 
paid me well. I kept the weeds out and cultivated it, too. This is all true, Mr. Field. 

Geo. Klein, Kansas Ci(p, Missouri, 3136 Cleveland Ave. 



PLANTED POTATOES IN A SNOWSTORM. 

From Mrs. Lena Tossell, Crivitz, Wisconsin. 

I raised last year on one-half acre of ground twenty bushels of onions, and I sold thirteen 
bushels at $1.00 per bushel. My early potatoes, I sold at forty cents a peck. 1 planted 

them the 23d of April 



5 i_& 




16 Kinds of Vegetables grown in a Garden in the ' 'Cut Over" Country 
of Northern Wisconsin. 

five pounds. I never saw 
such radishes, they were so 
tender. 

My husband plows real ^ 

deep and harrows the gar- 
den two or three times, then 
he leaves it ail to me and 
1 plant a little of everything. 
I have a garden plow and 
seeder, so I keep it thor- 
oughly cultivated and hoed 
and keep all the weeds 
down. That is the secret 
of a good garden in my 
eyes. I love to work in my 
garden. 

1 am a poor scholar, but 
it is the truth. I have 
told you as plain as I know 
how. 

Mrs. Lena Tossell, Crivitz, Wisconsin 



m a snowstorm. People 
laughed at me, but I was 
the one to laugh last. It 
was so dry last year that 
I saved all my wash wa- 
ter and carried barrels 
of if and it paid me, for 
I had a fine garden. 

I had three different 
plantings of sweet corn, 
and sold the most of it 
for one cent an ear. I 
had three wagonloads of 
squash which I sold 
at fen and twenty cents 
each. I had one squash 
that weighed over thirty- 




^ji: 



■..•^. 



An Enthusiastic Woman Gardener and Her Chickens. 



CATTLE ATE THE ONIONS. 

From Mrs. F. E. Wright, Wilsey, Kansas. 

I sent for $2.50 worth of seeds and sold $3.00 worth of tomato plants, and $2.00 worth 
of cabbage plants. My beets were good. The cattle got in my garden and ate all my onions 
and nearly all my cucumber vines, but I planted again and had grand success. Put up 30 
gallons of pickles for myself, sold 3 bushel gren ones. I also sold $15.00 worth of ripe 
tomatoes and $2.00 worth of green ones, and I canned ten quarts of beets. 

I may do better next time, as this is my first attempt. 

Mrs. F. E. Wright, Wilsey, Kansas. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 1 5 



A SUCCESS IN SPITE OF UNFAVORABLE WEATHER. 
From Mrs. D. B. Collins, Grandview, Arkansas. 

We had a small garden patch, but before I could gel it plowed, I took sick. Husband 
planted the garden, three rows of onions, four of cabbage, four of tomatoes, two of beans, 
and one of radishes. It was so late that everything was planted in the hill. Well the dry 
weather struck us and everything died except onions, beans and radishes. So about the first 
of June, we planted again ten rows of beans, twelve of corn and five of sweet potatoes, with 
beans in every hill of corn. Just as the beans were ready to gather, a ramy spell caught them 
and several were spoiled. But I gathered over a half a bushel dried beans, canned twelve 
quarts, and pickled two gallons, besides havmg lots of beans to eat. Dug six bushels of 
potatoes; the corn was fine also, but I haven't any idea how much there is of it. 

So you see it was a very good ending if a bad begmnmg. 

Mrs. D. B. Collins, CranJvierv, Arf^amas. 

SEVENTEEN HUBBARD SQUASHES ON ONE HILL. 

From 

Geo. W. Hughes, 
Broadalbin, 
New York. 

I am sending by mail 
a few photographs that 
will talk better than I 
can write. The soil is 
sandy and said to be 
very poor. As manure 
is scarce and hard to get, 
I used fertilizer exten- 
sively. The garden was 
largely flowers with a 
vegetable garden in the 
rear. 

On one hill of Hub- 
bard squash, I had sev- 
enteen large squashes, 
A Fine Yard 




one weighing fifteen 
pounds. The tomatoes 
are on poles, and I keep 
all the little ones picked 
off the vines. 1 have 
sold off this garden at the 
present writing $27.99 
worth of cabbage and 
cauliflower. 

Mr. Field, if you 
could have seen my 
flowers and vegetables, I 
am of the opinion your 

eyes would have talked Asters and Early June Tomatoes in a New York Garden 

more than 1 can write. 

Geo. W. Hughes, Broadalbin, Nett) Yorl(. 

DROUTH STRUCK THIS GARDEN. 

From Mrs. D. B. Whisler, Creighton, Missourl 

Well, Mr. Field, it is impossible for me to send you any photos of our garden, as the 
drouth struck it just about the lime we were thinking of having some taken and in less than 
a weeks time our garden was ruined. Also our flowers were all killed. The garden before 
the drouth hit it was as pretty as any you ever saw, for the size. Everybody was speaking 
about It looking so fine. Mrs. D. B. Whisler, Creighlon, Missouri. 




16 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



EARLY TOMATOES, POTATOES, AND BEETS PAID BEST. 

From Miss Maud E. Keiser, Lake View, Iowa. 

I had a large garden and planted them all in rows V/i feet apart, put onions, radishes, 
peas and lettuce in double rows about seven inches apart. My garden is 195 feet long and 
35 feet wide. Last year father bought a one horse plow for one row to use in the garden. 




A Clean Well-Kept Garden in Iowa 

and now I think I couldn't get along without it. After plowing it about once a week, I hoed 
the weeds out of rows with hoe. 

We followed your directions about the hot-bed and it was wonderful how things did grow. 
I planted the seed in a hot-bed the last of March. The twentieth of April I put the first 
garden in. Two rows of early potatoes, cut up with not less than two eyes in a piece, about 
1 j/2 feet apart and six inches deep. In three weeks from that day they had blossoms buds on, 
and when all were budded, I hilled them up good and harvested eight bushels. After gathering 
potatoes, sowed turnips on part of the ground and harvested two bushels. 108 feet of set 
onions planted three inches apart in rows measured two bushels when gathered. Twelve feet 
of early radishes, and then when they were gone, put lettuce there. It is hard to estimate 
how many radishes and how much lettuce I had. We eat all spring, and I know there was 
over a bushel. One hundred twenty-five feet of Early June tomatoes transplanted to two 
feet apart, and the 19th of July had ripe tomatoes, and we never had tomatoes that bore 
better than they did, and such nice, ripe tomatoes, looked just like those in the seed book. 
Had tomatoes until frost came October 20th, and then there were quite a few on. Gathered 
25 bushels of ripe tomatoes, sold 23 lbs., 5c per lb., $1.15; 18 lbs. at 3c per lb., 54c; total $1.69. 

I thought the early tomatoes, potatoes and sugar beets paid best, and if I could have sold 
the tomatoes they would have paid me a big sum for the ground I had in tomatoes. 

Maud E. Keiser, La}ie Viei)>, Iowa. 



A GOOD PROFIT IN GARDENING. 

From Mrs. Flora E. Simmonds, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, R. R. No. \. 

In the first place, I sent to you for $1.00 worth of seed. I raised peas, string beans, 
shelled beans, and quite a few dry beans for winter. Also potatoes, sweet corn and lots of 
nice tomatoes. The potatoes did not do well this year on account of the drouth. I had a 
strawberry patch and had strawberries for the table. 

What I realized the most for was the raspberries. I sold them as high as 15c a pint 
and they came to over $70.00. We had blackberries, currants, and gooseberries also, but 
not enough to supply the demand. 

Our garden was the admiration of all beholders. I could not take any pictures because I 
don't have a camera. 

Mrs. Flora E. Simmonds, Woonsocl^et, Rhode Island, 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 17 



AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT ON TOMATOES. 
From G. M. Stack, Center Harbor, New Hampshire, R. R. No. I. 

I have always tried some new va- ^ma-a^^^ 

rielies each year and like to keep track 
of them to see if the seedsman has 
stretched the truth about them. This 
year I tried some of your new novel- 







A good size Squash, weight 121 
IbsAafter it was picked a week. 

This came in a packet entitled 

Field's Corections of Mammoth Field ' s Early June Tomatoes 

Pumpkins and Squashes. A Variety of Squashes and Pumpkins for Note the size of them along 

the Fair. side of the size of the boy's 

hand. 

ties and think this one worthy of a report to you, telling you 
how it behaved here. 

Fields Early June Tomato Seed planted in flat April 1st, 

seed up April 1 4th. Plants set in the ground May 20th, and 
ripe fruit on the vines July 28th. This variety bests its nearest 
competitor by ten days, and that variety is the Earliana. All 
being set the same day and had like attention. I tried 14 var- 
ieties, and this one, Field's Early June, is the earliest one of 
them all. 



s^d^M Variety Test With Tomatoes 1911. 

The Boy wants the Photo- /ni i-l- iin x 

grapher to h liny and take ('^ plants of each variety planted all at same time.) 
the pictuie betore he drops it 

N^ME IN bloom ripe YIELD REMARKS 

Coreless 6-20 8-19 62 .\ shy bearer here 

Hummer 6-20 8-24 80 Better than (I) 

Globe 6-21 8-14 98 A good size tomato, smooth 

Chalk's E. Jewell 6-18 8-8 115 My choice as third 

Burpee's D. Giant 6-30 9-15 46 Smooth, shy bearer, late 

Eaiiana 6-15 8-7 112 Second choice as Earliness 

Field's Early June 6-10 7-28 140 First choice as earliness 

June Pink 6-15 8-14 108 Good size, fine quality 

Ponderosa 6-22 9- 9 60 Largest, late and rough 

Tenderloin 6-24 9- 6 72 Better than above in quality, not so large 

Sutton's L. Yellow 6-30 9-40 36 Fine flavor. Too late. 

Stone 6-22 8-10 112 Smooth. Not as good quality as some others 

Shenandoah 6-24 9-15 60 Good size and flavor. Requires a longer 

season. 

G. M. Stack, Center Harbor, Neii> Hampshire. 



THE HOGS GOT THE POPCORN. 
From Mrs. J. Bender, Rawson, Ohio. 

The family are laughing at me because I am writing. They said we had no extra plani 

laid out like the regular gardeners. I told them that I was going to write anyway. Our 

preacher was to our place when our sweet corn was the best, and he said we had ought to go 
into the truck business, but we live too far from market. 



18 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



My garden was set out in cherry trees. We farm a little between the trees until they get 
larger. Planted sweet corn three different times. We never sold any until this year. There 
was ready sale for it. The Early June tomatoes are the finest tomato I ever had, so nice 
and smooth. 

The package of popcorn I got of you, I gave to the little boy. He had about 24 hills, and 
he took such good care of it. It stayed nice until about ready to husk, and the hogs broke 
in the patch one night and cleaned it all out. The watermelons were fine, that is what few 
we got. Part of them were stolen. Some people won't buy seed or think of plantmg but 
depend on stealing. Don't know as I ever got any better seed, everything seemed to do so well. 

Mrs. J. Bender, Rawson, Ohio. 



$62.60 WORTH OF ONION ON QUARTER ACRE. 

From W. H. Rossean, Hamburg, Iowa. 

1st. Cauliflower, twenty-five plants, raised 100 lbs. good bright heads, made them into 

pickles. 

2d. Beans, five rows 100 feet long, pro- 
duced 30 gallons green beans, sold part for 
$4.50. 

3d. Onions, one-fourth acre produced 50 
bushel. That I sold for $62.60. 

4th. Tomato, seventy-five plants of Field's 
Early June that produced 1 ,200 pounds that 
averaged four cents per pound, amounted to 
$48.00. 

5th. Cabbage, 200 plants of early cab- 
bage that made 400 pounds that I sold for 
four cents per pound which amounted to 
$16.00. I have got 300 late that 1 haven't 
cut yet. 

^th. Potato, one-fourth acre yielded 31'/2 
bushels, at the present price, $1.25 a bushel 
would amount to $39.40. 

I also raised some fine egg plant, but 
couldn't sell them for people didn't know 
what they were. Also raised an acre and a half of watermelons. They grew to maturity 
and began to ripen when the lice got on the vines and ruined them. Loss $200.00. Also 
one hundred hills of muskmelons, Perfection, that averaged three melons to the hill that would 
bring me ten cents apiece on the market. Lice ruined them also. 

W. H. Rossean, Hamburg, Iowa. 




Fine Cauliflower in spite of a Dr3' Season 



A PROFITABLE BACK YARD. 

From Ruth Patrick, Randall, Kansas. 

Our garden is only the fenced-in back yard. Early in March, as soon as the frost was 
out of the ground, we spaded up several beds and planted our carrots, parsnips and peas. 
The peas were up in about a week. We at once set out our onion sets, three quarts of red 
and three of white sets. We had some tomatoes started in the house but planted the most 
of our seed outdoors. They were mostly seed we had saved ourselves, gathered the year 
before. 

When the weather turned dry and hot, our garden made no progress. The tomato vines 
grew, if is true, and even blossomed, but no fruit set on them until the rains came in the 
middle of August. Our onions stopped growing about the last of July, so we pulled them. 
We had been using them constantly since they got big enough to use, but we still had nearly 
a bushel, although none of them were as large as they should have been. Now, Sept. 25th, 
our tomatoes are bearing splendidly and will until frost. 

Considering the season, however, and the fact that our garden was not irrigated, we con»ider 
that we have done fairly well. 

Ruth Patrick, Randall, Kansas. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 19 






'■:m,g^::^% 



CUCUMBERS PAID BEST. 
E. P. Whitmore, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. 

I am what you might call a near market gardener. That is, this is my first year at the 
business. I own fifteen acres of fine market garden land just one mile from Beaver Dam, a 
city of nearly 7,000 people, and I believe that I can make the business a success just as soon as 
I get my second wind. 

This year 1 have about three acres in garden truck and potatoes. In my garden I raised 
most all kinds of vege- 
tables with very good j 
success but in small I 
amounts. My best pay- | 
ing crops were cucum- 
bers, cabbage, carrots 
and Hubbard squashes. 
My best paying crop, 
considering the amount 
of land used, was my 
Davis Perfection cucum- 
bers. I never saw any- 
thing like it the way 
those vines turned out 
the great big nice straight 
cukes. I had two rows 
about eight rods long. In A Nice Clean Poteto Patch 
spite of all the dry 

weather we had in June, July and August, I sold nearly $30.00 worth of cukes at an average 
of $1.20 per bushel. I believe that little patch of ground will bring me in at least $35.00 by 
the time they are all gone, or at the rate of $600.00 per acre. 

My cabbage is fine. I have about 800 heads of saleable cabbages, which at the present 
price of 4c each, will push the cukes hard for first place. My Hubbard squash are also fine. 
I have 150 large ones still on the vines, which at present price of 1 5 to 20c each will put the 
Hubbards right in the game along with the cukes and cabbage. 

On vegetables grown from Field's seeds, I entered 20 varieties at the fair and took nine 
first and eleven second premiums. So you see I done fairly well for a beginner. With a good 
season next year I believe I can make some of the old hands sit up and take notice. As near 
as I can estimate now, my garden vegetables, taking one with another will average around 
$350.00 per acre. 

I forgot to mention my peanuts. From the one pint of seed you sent me, I have just 
dug a good peck of nice large peanuts. I would have had more, but the gophers took nearly 
half of the seed before I got onto their game. There is also one more vegetable I would like 
to call your attention to, and that is Gumbo. You said it was fine. Maybe it is, but honestly 
I would rather eat a second hand slippery elm poultice. 

E. P. Whitmore, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. 



BETTER GARDEN THAN HER NEIGHBORS. 

•From Maud Barber, Athelston, Iowa. 

Considering the dry weather, I raised a good garden, but the corn and beans did the best 
as the dry weather did not seem to hurt them as it did the rest of the garden. 

My garden is about as large as a residence lot. The rows are planted north and south, 
and on the east side I planted six rows of Peep O'Day sweet corn, then six rows of cabbage, 
two rows of cucumbers. I had a path that crossed the garden at an angle, so I planted pole 
beans on each side of this path until I had filled in the angles so the rows would run straight 
again. Then I planted four rows of Country Gentlemen sweet corn, two rows of muskmelons, 
two bunches of Lima beans, two of cucumbers and six rows of Evergreen sweet corn. After 
the corn came through the ground, I planted corn beans all around the outside of the corn. 
Across the north end of the garden I had my early garden of radishes, lettuce, onions, beets 
and plant bed and bunch beans. 

While my garden did not do as well as it has other years, it was much better than most 
of my neighbors. 

Maud Barber, Athehlon, lova. 



20 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



A MIGHTY GOOD REPORT. 

From Mrs. Daska Mason, Falls City, Nebraska. 

About me entering your Garden Contest, Mr. Mason, my husband, says it is foolishness 
for me to try, as I haven't time for such work having six Httle children and all my own 
work to do. 

My garden is 180 feet east and west and 60 feet north and south. The first 40 feet, 
east end, was planted in lettuce, radishes, onions and beets and seed bed. Put melons on 
after lettuce and radishes. Put Kohl Rabi after green onions. Planted muskmelons on side 
of bed, too. Got full crop of lettuce, radishes, and now have 22 nice ripe melons from 
same ground and 60 more on vines measurmg from 12 to 24 mches apiece. Got full crop of 
green onions and Kohl Rabi off of same ground, and now have 30 nice muskmelons on the 
same bed. Have had two ripe ones. 

Next 40 feet in large Flat Dutch cabbage and tomatoes, 400 cabbage and 200 tomatoes. 
Cabbage is heading nice and (omaloes loaded. Have had lots of ripe ones since July 20th. 

Next 21 feet in sweet corn, popcorn with Kentucky Wonder beans planted with it, a full 
crop of both. Next 12 feet cucumbers, just fine. Next 6 feet, bunch beans. After they were 
picked, pulled and put turnips. Next, one row beefs and peas and now in turnips. 

I have had two crops and some three on all except cabbage and tomato patch. I have 
got the stuff right here to picture, too, and one girl and five boys to help make a picture 
good measure. 

I have sold nothing so far except 200 plants. I have nothing to sell except tomatoes and 
pickles. I hoe my garden every ten days. I have no flowers or frills, as we are renters and 
must work very hard. 

Mrs. Dasha Mason, Falls Ci/p, Nebraska. 



$280.00 FROM TWO ACRES. 

From Mabelle S. Hooper, 116 Locust St., Danvers, Massachusetts. 

All surplus fruit and vegetables find a ready market with us as we are near town and 

offer only first-class goods. We have a particularly fine location for earhness, being situated 

between two hills. 

All work is done by my hus- 
band and myself, which means not 
much time for play, but perfect 
health and much happiness. This 
fall we have built a fair sized 
greenhouse and hope in the future 
to give our whole time to market 
gardening and flowers. 

This last spring my husband 
was operated upon for appendicitis 
and was sick for a long time. 
Anxious to relieve him, I ordered 
the seeds myself, saying nothing. 
After they came, I found in my 
ignorance I had ordered tomato 
seed alone enough to plant our 
whole farm. We planted them, 
however, and sold plants. The 

Early June we kept ourselves and never saw such a setting of fruit on any tomatoes. 

Our garden consisted of about two acres planted in rows of 100 feet. After furnishing 

an abundance for our table, with the cellar full for winter's use, we made about $280.00 

from the two acres. 

Mabelle S. Hooper, 1 16 Locusl Si., St. Danvers, Massachusetls. 




Com, Beans, and Tomatoes did well in Mass. 



NOT A LARGE GARDEN BUT A GOOD ONE. 

Ffom Ella Underbrink, Chandlerville, Illinois. 

Off of one hundred tomato plants, I raised about ten bushel of tomatoes, the largest ones 
being about 14 inches in circumference. We raised over 50 bushels of potatoes off of one- 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



21 



fourth of an acre. The largest potatoes were from 14 to 16 inches in circumference and 
9 mches in length. I raised a few muskmelons, the largest being 26 inches in circumference. 
There was about eight or nine loads of watermelons. We sold three large loads that 
brought $60.00. The largest melon was 50 inches in circumference and 36 inches in length. 
The rest we used, fed to the hogs, and some went to waste. I raised one hundred heads of 
cabbage, the largest head being 35 inches in circumference. There was a few pumpkins, the 
largest was 90 inches in circumference. 

Ella Underbrink, Chandlervillc, Illinois. 




Tomatoes larger than saucers. A little rough but good. 



SOME BIG TOMATOES 

From Manuel E. Vierra, Mission San Jose, California. 

These are the largest tomatoes 
1 have ever raised or seen. A 
neighbor of ours had some last 
year, and I asked him for a few 
seeds and he gave me one tomato. 
As few seeds as it had, I saved 
them all and sowed them early in 
a box. This box was set by the 
well where it could easily be wa- 
tered every night. Evening after 
evening these seeds were sprinkled 
until they were about two or three 
inches high. It was then April and 
the danger of frost was over. 

The little tomato plants were 
replanted an equal distance apart. 
To keep out weeds and the ground 
fresh, it was hoed quite often. If 
the best results are expected, the 
ground should never be neglected. 
They are as large and the largest 
I have ever seen. 

Manuel E. Vierra, 
Mission San Jose, Calif. 

JUST A LITTLE TOO DRY AT SWEETWATER. 

Froivi Mrs. L. A. Bailey, Sweetw.ater, Texas. 

The drouth in this part of Texas just about put us out of the garden business. Yet, I 
cannot refrain from writing you a little of our experience, as you seem to want to hear from 
us all whether we succeed or not. I tried very hard. 

We had two gardens, one depending on rain alone planted to early potatoes, corn for 
roasting ears, six varieties of peas, planted for a succession, string beans, squashes, peanuts 
and cucumbers and cantaloupes. We also set out hundreds of tomato plants and cabbage 
plants in this garden, but after growing beautifully for awhile, the drouth finally took it all. 
We did, however, get about one-half dozen messes of peas and string beans. 

The other garden was situated on slightly sloping ground and near a well and windmill, 
which also failed to fill our expectations during the extreme dry hot weather, and we lost all 
that excepting the early crop. 

Mrs. L. a. Bailey, Sweelwaier, Texas. 

THE WAY TO GROW A GOOD GARDEN. 

From John S. Cox, Thayer, Indiana. 

I plant in rows so I can tend my truck with a horse. Each variety is along in rows so 
as to connect, making it more convenient to plow with less turning. 

I would have given $10.00 if I could have got some pictures struck of my truck patch. 

I had out one acre of cucumbers of which brought me $115.66. I worked each row 
out with a single shovel, then dropped my seeds one step apart in rows, 6^/2 feet between 
rows. I planted my seeds the last of June, cultivated well until in bloom, then picked my 
first the first of August and last picking the tenth of September. 

John S. Cox, Thayer, Indiana. 



22 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



AND PEANUTS CAN BE GROWN IN IOWA. 

From Chas. Garrean, Percival, Iowa. 

I had about six hundred cabbages, and they were fine. I planted them in the usual way 
and kept the soil well loosened and hoed. I sold about $12.00 worth. The tomatoes were 
good. We picked eight bushels off of 60 plants. Our Kohl Rabi grew to weigh three 
pounds and they stood the dry weather fine. \our dry weather cauliflower is the finest I ever 
saw. It grew to weigh two pounds. The salsify was fine, too. The beets stood the dry 
weather fine, three was all I could get in a bushel basket. I planted 26 hills of peanuts and 
got a half a bushel. We picked two bushels of vine peaches off of ten hills. Our radishes 
were dandies, they grew about I J/2 feel long, but of course they were not good after they 
got so big. 

Now as I have told you about all that I raised that amounted to anything, I will tell you 
how I raised it. I planted it after the usual way and kept the weeds out and kept the ground 
well loosened and mulched, and that is all there is to it. Of course I used good seeds. I 
plant nothing but Field's seeds. 

Chas. Garrean, Percival, Iowa. 



$25.00 WORTH OF STRAWBER- 
RIES FROM 5 SQUARE RODS. 

From D. E. Moffett, 

Corning, Iowa. 

I have eight or ten little patches 
which I have used this year. Some of 
the crop is all harvested. I sold 
$25.00 worth of strawberries from five 
square rods, besides about 1 5 quarts 
canned and what eight of us ate. From 
another small patch sold $5.00 worth 
of peas besides what we ate. I have 
done all of my work by hand except 
the plowing of the ground. 

I have several varieties of new po- 
tatoes, and I have dug some four 
bushel or more of early ones and have 
two bushel set aside for the State 
Fair. 

I won a piano at the Corn Contest, 
also $10.00 on a single at the corn 
show last December in Des Moines. 

D. E. Mdefett, 
Corning, Iowa. 




An uia Tune Corn Grower and some mighty gooa com 



FIELD'S SEEDS BEST, AND SHE IS OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW, TOO. 

From Mary T. Dupes, Manville, Wyoming. 

Dear Sir: I feel just like telling you about my garden. I had just the nicest garden 
around here. I wish that you could see it. There is everything in it, and good things, too. 

1 have just one-half acre in my garden. The rows are clear across the patch. I worked 
it with a little garden plow when it was small and then with a little mule. Will send 
you a photograph of it in a few days. You will say it is grand for an old lady 64 years 
old to make. I got the seeds from Henry Field, every one of them. They certainly are 
good seeds. I have had seeds from ever so many firms, and Field's seeds beat them all. 
You see I am living in Wyoming where it don't rain. My onions are the nicest in this 
county. I can't say too much good about the seeds. 

Mary T. Dupes, Manville, W\foming. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



23 




75 Dozen Muskmelon worth over $;o from a single picking on 1-2 acre 



GOOD SUCCESS WITH MELONS. 

From H. England, Quitman, Missouri. 

About May 30th I was completely hailed out, but I went right after it, got new seed and 
planted over, and I am reaping my reward now. 

I had about two acres 

of watermelons, Kleckley 

Sweet, Halbert Honey and 

Harris Early and some 

Princess. Then, I had about 

one-half acre of musk- 
melons, cantaloupes, Daisy 

Perfection and Banana. 

When I began to replant, 

I just left the old stalks 

and planted between. It 

did not seem possible that 

they could ever come out, 

but I want to say in about 

three days it did not look 

like the same patch. Well, 

Friend Field, I don't believe ou can kill them at all, anyway not with hail stones. When 

the new ones came up I certainly had to fight. The little striped bug was there and all of 

his kin. I worked early and late with lime and ail kinds of remedies until I got the vines 

ahead of them. The very hot days of August willed my vines, and I think I lost about 

$75.00 worth of melons. 
I sold my first load of 
melons August 9th. I 
enclose you a picture of 
my melons. My musk- 
melons will speak for 
themselves. The seed I 
got from you was very 
fine. Of this one pick- 
ing of seventy-five dozen, 
fifty-five dozen was sent 
on one load. 

I certainly do feel 
thankful for the truck 
that I raised, taking into 
consideration not having 
any rain from May 30th 
to July 22d. Potatoes 

were a complete failure. I only raised about thirty bushels on two acres. 

I also send you a picture of my Short Orange Cane. I am so proud of it. You will 

see it was not headed out, but is now a great bit taller than when the picture was taken. 

H. England, Quitman, Missouri 




A Hundred Kleckley Watermelons at one picking 



GOOD BLACKBERRIES ANYWAY. 

From Mrs. Acnes Ducoin, Valley Center, Kansas. 

We live in town and have 5 lots. We have a little of the best of everything planted. 
Our blackberries bore this year for the first. We would have had a big crop if we had 
got rains, as it was I picked 25 gallons. 

My flowers could not do anything, the sweet peas burnt up. I will have a good many 
onions but they ripened up early at half size. 1 am getting 5 cents a lb. for them. I took 
a bushel to the store last week and have a sack full ready for to take today. 

If we have had rains as we needed, things would have been fine, as it is we must submit 
to it. 

Mrs. Agnes Ducoin, Valley Center, Kansas. 



24 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



FOUGHT BUGS. BLIGHT, AND DROUTH. 

From Mrs. O. W. Holmes, Millport, New York. 

This garden, the first I ever had, is in three patches around our suburban cottage home. 
During the winter, I drew my plans, bought my seeds, started tomato, celery, pepper and 
cucumber plants in window boxes in the house and got my set of garden books ready. The 
garden was plowed as early as a cold, late spring would permit, the ground dragged, and on 
a warm bright day I took charge. 

I dropped the peas two inches apart in each furrow. I always cover seeds as deep as three 
times their diameter. I used one pint of seed for my 120 feet of row. The first pickmg was 
on June 9th and the last on July 13th. The yield was forty-nine quarts. On July 14th 
I spaded the vines under, added more fertilizer, and transplanted from my cold frame the 
celery plants I had grown in the house. This gave me 60 heads of White Plume celery. 

I fought bugs and blight and drouth. I had my full share of tired back and feet, blistered 
hands and lame wrists until I learned how to manage in my two hours toil from four to six 
in my garden nearly every morning. But the keen enjoyment of the fresh, sweet morning 
air, the steadily increasing strength, the renewed health, the pleasure gained in watching green 
things grow, the satisfaction of having really fresh vegetables for my table, and the way I 
appreciated the long rows of canned vegetables, more than compensated me for the toil and 
time spent. 

Mrs. O. W. Holmes, Millport, Nen> York- 



SUCCESS WITH TOMATOES IN OKLAHOMA. 

From Mrs. M. E. Broome, Mountain Park, Oklahoma. 

I have been the most successful gardener for the last seven years in a radius of forty 
miles or more, and I have been the only person that has raised any vegetables in this part 
of Oklahoma to speak of, for the last three years. I have had vegetables to sell every week 

since the fifteenth day of 
April, and still have 
about fifty or sixty dol- 
lars worth to sell. I sell 
to the women at their 
homes, and as almost ev- 
ery family in the two 
towns of Mountain Park 
and Snyder are my cus- 
tomers they are my wit- 
nesses to the truthfulness 
of the above facts. 

1 sow my tomato seed 
in a cold frame about the 
20th of February in 
shallow drills six inches 
apart and cover them 
one-half inches deep. 1 
water them good with 
warm water and cover 
them up every night to 
keep in the heat. The ground having been prepared by plowing it again as deep as the plow 
will run and harrowed smoothly, it is laid off in rows one-half foot apart and the plants are 
set two feet apart in the bottom of these furrows. This deep setting and having the plants 
strong by growing them in the sun and wind without artificial hat is why they always set 
fruit. I take my plants up in bunches and select the largest and set the small ones back in 
the bed for the later setting. I have them cultivated every week to create moisture whether 
they ned it or not until they are too large to get through without injuring the vines. My late 
tomatoes are treated precisely the same as the early ones, only they are set four feet apart 
each way. I set my early cabbage and pepper the same way I do my early tomatoes. 

I watch my garden every day. When the rabbits begin on my beans, peas and cabbage, 
I put Paris Green on them with a hand spray. I put five heaping tablespoonsful to a medium 




A Good Load of Vegetables in the Dry August Weather in Oklahoma 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 25 




Tomatoes, Squashes and Sweet Potatoes from a Woman's Garden 



size tub of water. They 
will eat one more mess and 
quit. 1 use it on my cab- 
bage to keep the worms off, 
too, and on my cucumbers, 
muskmelons and watermel- 
ons to destroy the striped 
cucumber beetles and on 
my Irish potatoes to destroy 
the bugs on them. I saved 
my garden with Paris Green. 
1 used about eight pounds 
this summer. I find the 
melon aphis to be the hard- 
est thing to control, as they 
suck the sap out of the 

vines. There isn't anything that will poison them. I watch my vines every day and the first 
vines I find affected, I pull up and bury them. I put lime in a gunny sack and pass through 
the patch and strike the bollom of the sack lightly on the ground among the vines, and the 
lime will fly up under the leaves and on the vines and check them. 1 also use ashes the 
same way. 

My earliest muskmelon vines have produced melons ever since July. I raised the largest 
muskmelons this year 1 have ever seen. One measured 23^ inches from the stem to the 
blossom end. I will send a photograph of some of them. 1 had I Yl acres of watermelon and 
muskmelons and cantaloupes. Sold about $20.00 worth of watermelons and about $40.00 
worth of muskmelons and cantaloupes, and sold about $200.00 worth of tomatoes. Had about 
ten hundred cabbages and sold only about $25.00 worth. My other vegetables brought about 
$65.00. Having sold in all $350.00, which was extra good considering the drouth. 

Mrs. M. E. Broome, Mountain Park, Oklahoma. 



A HUNDRED WORDS NOT ENOUGH. GLAD TO HAVE YOU COME WITH 

MORE. 

From Mrs. F. M. Wilson, Balfour, North Dakota. 

A lady friend of mine in Iowa sent me a few packets of Mr. Field's seeds. Among 
them was a packet of Field's Early June tomato, which proved a decided success away 
up here in North Dakota. She also told me about this contest, then I wrote Mr. Fields 
for particulars. I entered Garden Contest one time, but the editor only allowed us one 
hundred words, and what is one hundred words to a woman, so you may know I didn't 
win out. 

My garden is 8x12 rods square enclosed in a chicken proof fence. I plant as soon 
as the ground can be worked. I make a sSallow trench for all small seed, and then fill 
with water. This gives the seed a moist bed and no time is lost waiting for rain. I plant 
peas five inches deep and sow very thick in drills. This always gives me the second and 
third picking. I soak sweet corn seed several hours before planting, as this puts it ahead 
several days. I always sow parsnips in the fall. This always insures a crop, as it takes 
lots of moisture to grow parsnips. 

I always have excellent success with cucumbers. I only plant two varieties, the Long 
Green and Early Cluster. I never throw up a hill, I believe in level cultivation. This 
year my cucumber patch was 2x6 rods. I planted five ounces of seed in this and picked 
sixty gallons of fruit. 

I was told I couldn't raise celery in North Dakota, but I wasn't satisfied till I tried 
it myself. I sow the seed in a box in the house the first of March. Celery requires lots of 
water. After the danger of frost, I transplant in the garden. When the plants are large 
enough I replant in trenches. I wrap in paper and (hen earth up to bleach. Later, I 
remove to cellar, wrap in new paper and pack in dry sand. 

This year my carrot bed was 2x9 rods, and from this bed I dug 88 bushels of carrots. 
I sowed the Ox Heart, Danvers Half Long and the Maslidon. 

Mrs. F. M. Wilson, Balfour, North Dakota. 



26 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



HERE ARE SOME GOOD IDEAS. 

From Mrs. A. Bentley, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

I think a garden should be planted in rows. It is easier to cultivate in every way. 
I have nearly one acre in garden. Have four rows of potatoes, two of beans, two of 
tomatoes, two of corn, two of onions, two of beets, two of radishes, one of carrots, one 
of salsify, okra, parsnips, and two of peas. The remainder in cabbage and other plants. 

It has been pretty dry, but we have had rains, so I look for a beautiful garden, as 
things grow so fast here in the Sunny South. 

The keynote of successful gardening is to stir the soil, stir it often with four objects 
in view. 1st, to destroy weeds; 2nd, to ventilate the soil; 3rd, to enrich the soil by action 
of air; 4th, to retain the moisture by preventing its evaporation. 

Mrs. a. Bentley, Fayetteville, Arl^ansas. 




A FINE WISCONSIN GARDEN. 

From Mrs. Aug. Milke, Potosi, Wisconsin. 

My garden is about three-fourths of an acre. I have it plowed in the fall and use the 

disk in the spring. I think that helped me 
out quite a bit this summer. I raise about 
everything anyone wants to eat in the hne 
of vegetables. In addition to my vegetables, I 
raised about as nice an aster bed as anyone 
wants to see. 

I have Field's Early June tomatoes. That 
is about the nicest tomato I want to have. 
It is not quite as large as Ponderosa, but 
I have tomatoes much earlier. Our family is 
quite large and all fond of tomatoes. I also 
realized more off your green pod bush bean. 
I picked a large wash tub and a three gallon 

„. . „ bucketful off of two rows. I put up fifteen 

Field'sFirst Early Green Beans. A Tubful and a ii • u r .l • . i . I 

Bucket fun at one picking from two short rows. gallons in salt for the winter. Last year 1 

had 3/2 gallons off the same amount planted. 

I do not sell any of my 
crops so I cannot tell you 
which I made the most of, 
and the reason I don't is be- 
cause nearly every one in 
this community raises their 
own garden. You have 
plenty chances to give away 
but nothing for sale. 

Another thing I want to 
call your attention to is my 
Cauliflower. I had the 
largest and whitest cauli- 
flower this summer I ever 
saw. I know some of the 
heads would have taken the 
prize, so large and white. 

Mrs. Aug. Milke, 

Potosi, Wis. Early June Tomatoes and a small girl who is right on the job 




JUST THE IDEA FOR A DRY YEAR. 

From Mrs. A. E. Townsend, Bloomington, Nebraska. 

I had a fine garden. The dry weather did not hurt it much as I would hoe it after 
every little rain to hold the moisture, and it did fine until the fifth of August, when it got 
too much water, as my garden was on the Republican river bottom and the river got out of 
its bank* and stayed out seven days. 

Mrs. a. E. Townsend, Bloomington, Nebraska. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 27 




100 QUARTS OF STRAWBERRIES FROM $1.00 WORTH OF PLANTS. 
From J. J. Schroeder, Humphrey, Nebraska. 

Our garden is about 80 feet square and is really intended for home use only. All hopes 
of having a fine garden and sending you a number of good photos were shattered when on 
June 25th a severe hail storm beat 
things almost mto the ground. Con- 
trary to our opinions, however, 
everything seemed to get new life, 
and came out wonderfully. We 
have enough of everything for our 
own use and some to sell also. 

From $1.00 worth of Henry 
Field's strawberry plants set in the 
spring of 1910 we realized over 
100 quarts of fine, large straw- 
berries. Have sold between nme 
and ten dollars worth of onions, 
besides what we kept for our own 
use. 

Our garden has never been 
manured although it is on bottom 
ground and gets a little drainage What tlie hail did to one proniising onion patch. It came 

from an old strawpile. We attri- out however and made over $10 worth of onions after all. 

bute much of our success with our little garden to the seeds which are all from Henry Field 
Seed Company. 

J. J. Schroeder, Humphrey, Nebrasl^a. 

HOW IS THIS FOR A 13 YEAR OLD BOY? 
From John B. Carter, Roy, Washington. 

I rented a piece of ground big enough to plant a five cent package of cucumber seed. 
The ground was plowed May 12th. There was a mixture of cow, horse and sheep manure 
spread over the ground thin and plowed in. I took the garden rake and raked the patch 
level, then look the pointed hoe and made three rows three inches deep, then put in about 
a bushel of pulverized hen manure, then kicked in a little dirt and planted the seed 
May 20th. 

On June 1 I th it froze off about two-thirds of the plants, so that saved me the trouble 
of thinning them. I hoed them three times, the last time I hilled them up a little. We picked 
our first cucumbers August 14th. I sorted the cucumbers into three sizes. Number one 
five inches and over, number two, three inches to five inches, number three, everything under 
three inches. Of number one, I had 244. These I sold at 25c a doz. Of number two 
there were 325, and of number three, 366. The reason there were so few was because 
they were froze black September 18th or 19th. 

John B. Carter, age 13. Ro\;, Wash. 

HERE IS A BOY THAT WILL MAKE GOOD. 
From Geo. B. Carter, Roy, Washington. 

The next time I try for a prize, I'll take one thing that won't freeze, for this country 
beats anything you ever heard of. You can depend only on July for no frost, and two 
years ago it froze mama's cucumbers the second night of July. 

For my garden, I took Red beans. Pappa plowed up a piece of ground that had never 
been plowed. I had to sit on the plow beam to help plow up rocks, and say, we had 
all two horses could draw on a sled of stones off what ground it took to plant a cup of 
beans. I raked the ground smooth with potato hook, as there was loo many rocks to use 
a rake. I put on a gunny sack of hen manure and hoed that in. Made the rows with a 
pointed hoe, and planted beans May 19th. They came up fine, and the frost of June 19th 
didn't kill them, but they didn't set many beans. I kept them hoed and used the small 
hand cultivator on until they were big enough to keep ahead of weeds. So off of one 
print of beans I have only five quarts of shelled beans. 

George B. Carter, age II, Ro\f, IVashington. 



28 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




A 'LITTLE GIRL AND HER BIG SQUASH. 

From Miss Lillian Poss, Aurora, Illinois, R. R. No. 3, Box 46. 

I lake great pleasure to write you a little about my nice little garden. It was beautiful, 

I must say. You ought to have seen the wonderful squash we had in our garden. Everybody 

asked where did you get that seed? My Grandma, who is nearly 
eighty years old, came to see our garden and she said she never 
seen such nice squash in her life. I am thirteen years old, and 
I thought I was strong, but I could not move it. So my brother 
tried to help me carry it home, but we were surprised for we 
could not lift it. Then we had to call for papa. You know he 
is a very strong man, but it made him sweat to get it home. We 
weighed it and you would be surprised to know how heavy it was. 
It weighed just 95 lbs. That is the honest fact. 

The cabbage was so nice. It only took four dozen for a big 
barrel of sour kraut. And all the rest of the seeds were the best we ever had, and we are 
glad that we ever got to know the Henry Field Seed Company. So must close for this time, 
with best wishes to you. 

Miss Lillian Poss, Aurora, Illmois, R. R. No. 3, Box 46. 



The little girl who 
raised a 95 lb. Squash 



TOMATOES DO WELL AT AFTON, IOWA. 

From Miss M. McElroy, Afton, Iowa. 

Our garden is about half of an acre. The way we prepare our soil to plant anything 
is to plow the ground early in the spring. Now for the tomatoes. The first thing we do 
to them in the spring is to make a small bed, and when they are about four inches high 
we set them out, hoe them and keep the weeds and grass out. We are getting about a half 
a bushel every morning now and will until it turns cold. We sold them at $L00 per bushel. 
Mamma has got about 100 quarts canned. 

Miss M. McElroy, Afton, Iowa. 



SOLD OVER $40.00 FROM A GARDEN 60x75 FEET. 

From Frances E. Nissley, Middleton, Pennsylvania. 

I made a success of my garden this year because it was a good spring for it. I will name 
some things I grew, asters, 
gradiolus, lilies, sweet peas, 
dahlias and geraniums. The 
chrysantnemums are not in 
bloom yet. 1 keep account 
of my flowers and I have 
made $6.75. 

The vegetables I raised 
two crops out of my garden. 
When the spring onions 
were fit to take out, I put 
celery there, and when early 
cabbage was over put tur- 
nips there, and after early 
potatoes put late cabbage in 
between the potato rows. I 
never had such cabbage be- 
fore, and when I dug the 
potatoes I got two bushel 
and a half and got 10c a 
quarter peck for all of them. 

My garden is 60x75 feet. I tell you it takes work to keep it clear. The Early June 




Some hustling Pennsylvania Girls and their Early June Tomatoes. 
They sold over $40 worth of vegetables from a garden only 60x75 ft. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



29 




tomatoes I got from you, I never had such nice tomatoes before. I liked your kjnd the best 

of all because they have such a 

nice shape and such a good fleshy 

laste. 1 got a photo taken of them 

Wfilh my sisters and myself in it. 

Had just gathered them. I had 

one hundred and sevenly-five plants 

and got ten bushel in all. They 

jold real good too. I made $8.00 

on my tomatoes. 

I just wish I could have taken 
ir.ore photos, but I could not gel 
I'le supplies for my camera. 1 keep 
an account. I made in all $40.00 
of different things. I tell you such 

little things count a good bit. Asttrs grown as a Money Crop in a Penn. Garden. $3.75 

wo:th sold from this bed. 

Frances E. Nissley, Middleion, Penns\)lvania. 

P. S. I almost forgot to tell you about the walermelons and cantaloupes. They were nice 

and big, and 1 weighed a watermelon that weighed eighteen pounds, and they were as sweet 

as honey. I got the seed from you. I had co.mpany and they said they never ate such melons. 

GOOD CROPS IN NEW MEXICO. 

From Brint Moody, Corrumpa, New Mexico. 

We live away out in New Mexico on a 320-acre homestead. Our garden is excellent this 
year, and everything is fine except corn. It did no good at all. Watermelons were the best 
1 ever ale. Mangle Wertzles were fine, very large. Beans, good. We had 3J/2 acres and 
got twelve hundred pounds. Beans pays best here on first years breaking. Our forage crops 
aie immense. Only had fifteen acres. Got over 200 shocks of 20 bundles each. Everything 
is fine and dandy this year. 

Brint Moody, Corrumpa, Neiv Mexico. 

NOTHING BUT A BOY, EH— BUT THE RIGHT KIND. 

From Harry Cole, Hart, Michigan. 

I am nothing but a fifteen year old boy. I have got a pretty fair garden what didn't 
wash out last spring. My melons, peanuts and popcorn are all fine. I have got a Halberl 
Honey watermelon that is twenty inches long. I picked a Princess watermelon today thai 
was 30 inches in circumference, and it was about 12 or 13 inches long and weighed 18 lbs. 
They are a nice melon. My Halbert Honey watermelon or Hackensack muskmelons are 
not ripe yet. 

Harry Cole, Hart, Mich., R. R. No. 2, Box 69. 



CAME FOR MILES TO SEE IT. 
From E. McCulley, Arco, Idaho. 

This is an elevated region, about 5,000 feet above the sea level, and between degrees 
43 and 44 north latitude. It was a bad season for my experiments, spring being the latest 
for years. It snowed in May and the frost killed the first transplanting of tomatoes. But 
June came in well and we put more plants and sowed seed in the open. About the seventh 
of July, some eastern friends came out to see us, and they did smile at what they termed 
our backward crops. 

Then came the worst of it — I was not able to cultivate a thing. The seeds, however, 
were of such strength and vitality and gave the young plants such a start that the weeds 
could not down them, many persons saying they never before saw such heavy bean crops in any 
land. The season seemed rather short for the Lima beans, though we had some fine eating 
from them. Among the peas, the English Early beat the best in both quality and quantity, 
and funny to say, had two distinct crops from the same vines. 

But when it came to the squashes, pumpkins and the melons, we had the show place 
of the valley. People came ten to fifteen miles just to see what could be done, but when 



30 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



they got a taste of the melons they were wild with delight. We had good ones of every 
variety, but the Princess watermelon and the Daisy Cantaloupe beat everything else out 
of sight. They were not the largest, but they matured such large numbers of delicious 
melons. At the approach of the frosty weather, every Princess, even though not more than 
four weeks from the bloom, matured. I never saw the like with any other melon. In quality 
they were belter than the best of any other kind. 

To farmers in irrigation districts, I may say, keep the water out of the hills or ridges, 
let it sub into them, and one good soaking in deep furrows is better than half a dozen 
hurried dashes of water. Flooding is not best for anything I have tried this year. 

Give us Field's seeds for this great, irrigated Northwest. 

E. McCuLLEY, Arco, Idaho. 



ONIONS FROM SEED PAY BEST. 
From R. S. McLean, Humboldt, Kansas. 

Although this has been a bad year, we have done fairly well. I took fifteen premiums at 

lola County Fair. I was going to lake a 
wagon loaded with vegetables in the street parade 
at Humboldt, but was prevented by rain. I 
took three premiums there (all from your 
seeds). I have two acres in truck fenced 
with chicken wire. 

Onions from seed pays best for the amount 
of ground. I raised twenty-five bushels on 
one-eighth acre, saleable onions, and plenty 
of small ones left. Those Prizetaker onions 
took the prize and sold for $1.80 per bushel. 

Oh, those Taft radishes beats everything. 
I took one to the exhibit that drew the at- 
tention of every one. I took premiums on 
beets and big squashes. In short we have 
lots of vegetables of every color and de- 
scription. 

The way to have a good garden is first 
good ground, or make it so, then good, pure 
seed and lots of work. Don't go off visiting 
and expect to have a big harvest. 




^ 



Prize Winning Vegetables in Kansas 



R. S. McLean, Humboldt, Kansas. 



SOME GOOD SQUASHES. 

From Mrs. S. E. Cain, St. Annibel, Ohio, R. R. No, 1, Box 37. 

I just had a small garden. Don't try to raise anything to sell, but raise plenty of vegetables 
of all kinds for a large family, but I sure raised some very fine squashes. From five vines, I 
raised thirty squashes, the largest ones weighed about 20 lbs. apiece. 

As for having pictures of squashes taken to send to you, I can't get them as there isn't 
any kodalc around here. My largest head of cabbage weighed 15 lbs. 

Mrs. S. E. Cain, 5/. Annibel, Ohio, R. R. No. 1, Box 37. 



DRY IN OKLAHOMA, TOO. 

From E. D. Johnson, Hobart, Oklahoma. 

I will tell you the plain facts. I have been a customer for seven years, and the way 
I have been situated I could not test your seeds thoroughly. It has been too wet or too 
dry. This spring has been so dry and so many hot winds. Oklahoma has made a com- 
plete failure. 

E. D. Johnson, Hobarl, Olilahoma. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



31 




$9.28 WORTH OF PEAS FROM 3 PINTS OF SEED. 
From Mrs. Ed Trindel, Ralston, Wyoming, Lock Box 105. 

One of the geologists employed to gather specimens -for t'.ie New York museum, after having 
traveled the entire state, told 
us that we had muchthe best 
garden he had seen in the state. 
My garden was a good 
advertisement for your seed 
house, as many were afraid 
your seeds were not suited to 
this country, but they 
changed their minds. "See- 
ing is believing," you know. 
We live in the Big Horn 
Basin where the growing 
season is short. I planted 
one pint each of Alaska, 
Improved Extra Early and 
Fillbasket peas from which 
I furnished a family of 
seven with an abundance of 
fresh peas until frost, besides 
selling $9.28 worth and di- 
viding some with others. 

I planted one pint of Field's first early beans and one pint of New Stringless Yellow Pod 
beans. I had the earliest beans in the country, selling $5.00 worth, furnishing plenty for family 
use, and many going to waste for want of market. 

From two rows of beets, each 42 
, feet long, I pulled four bushels of fine 

table beets. From four rows of car- 
rots, the same length, I pulled four 
and one-half bushels of extra fine car- 
rots. I pulled and weighed specimens 
of turnips which weighed 10'/2 lbs., 
rutabagas weighing 8!/2 lbs., and many 
specimens of my Early Jersey cab- 
bages cleaned for table use weighing 
6'/2 lbs. On one vine of Earliana 
tomatoes, I counted sixty-five well 
grown tomatoes without a blemish. 
Also, I must mention our little patch of Senator strawberries. We ordered 100 plants 
as a trial, all of which reached us in beautiful condition and lived beyond our greatest expecta- 
ns and we expect handsome returns from them next year. 

Mrs. Ed Trindel, Ralston, Wyoming. 



Wyoming Garden and Enthusiastic Young Gardeners. From two 
Pints of Beans sold $5 wortli and had lots left 



X \ 





A Wyommg Garden and Home 



EARLY GARDEN GOOD. 

From John Gash, Creston, Iowa. 

I haven't any garden to write about or fake snapshots of. My garden is all gone. The 
early garden did fine. I had onions, radishes and peas which did fine. Beans and cabbage 
burned up. Tomatoes are suffering for rain. I haven't anything worth taking a picture of. 

John Gash, Creslon, lorea. 



SOME DAY— SURE. 

From Mrs. C. A. Sears, Waverly, Illinois. 

Just now the garden looks like the southwest quarter of section seven of the Sahara 
desert and the water wagon not in sight. The flowers show up well, but the vegetables 
do not vegitate very fast. 

Mrs. C. A. Sears, Waverly, Illinois. 



32 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



PLANTS MOSTLY SWEET CORN. 

From Mrs. Victor Hedman, Denison, Iowa. 

Owing to the dry weather I did not have a success with my peas. Had good success with 
Dwarf Champions. They stand dry weather better than English Champions and Marrowfats. 

My hobby is sweet corn. 
The Denison people said I 
have the best sweet corn. I 
have a fine trade on corn 
and good customers, so I 
can give up working by the 
day for others. The corn 
that stands dry weather is 
White Evergreen. The seeds 
I buy from Mr. Field all 
grow. The people said to 
me this summer, "How is 
it you had good corn when 
others had none." I told 
them that I bought my seed 
of Mr. Henry Field, and 
that 1 made a rule to buy 
new seed every year. The- 
people plant old corn and 
they do not have success. 
I rent eight lots and have five lots of my own all paid for. I plant mostly potatoes and 
sweet corn. The picture is the garden near the house. It shows the flowers and small products. 

Mrs. Victor Hedman, Denison, Iowa. 




A Woman Market Gardener. She Rents 8 Lots and has 5 of her own. 



OUR BEANS DO WELL IN GEORGIA. 

From Martha Campbell, Roswell, Georgia. 

I had the finest beans you ever saw. Some of them were ten inches long and I sold 
a lot. I worked my garden every week until work was over. I live so far from town 
I could not have a photo made. 

I had a nice garden when every one's garden was played out. I had a lot of flowers 
in my garden. You know how pretty morning glories are. I had a lot of them. I love 
a nice garden and flowers. 

Martha Campbell, Rosrvell, Georgia. 



HE LIKES OUR GOODS. 

From Ferd Pauls, Leasburg, Missourl 

The drought has knocked me out of the contest. I am old and poor and may not 
be here next spring, so please take my name from your list. I like your seeds best of all. 
If I will need seeds next year, I shall let you know. 

Ferd Pauls, Leasburg, Missouri. 



PRINCESS A GOOD MELON. 

From H. H. Dowding, Jacksonville, Missouri. 

We gardened nearly all over the farm, wherever we thought was the likeliest place. We 
had three varieties of watermelons including Princess. The Princess were good size, averaging 
four pounds each. The other kind were the finest specimens, one weighing 16 lbs. They 
were planted on bottom land and were not watered at all, and received ordinary cultivation. 

H. H. Dowding, JacIfsonviUe, Missouri. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



33 



SOLD $144.78 FROM A GARDEN 100x150 FT., BESIDES FEEDING FAMILY 

OF EIGHT. 

From J, D. Waddle, Romney, W. V. 

I want lo lell you what I raised on less than half acre garden, it being 100x150 feel. 
The location of my garden is a southeastern exposure, soil, sandy loam, clay base well 
drained. Fall of 1910 turned under a heavy crop of Crimson clover. About Dec. 15th 
co.ered the ground well with stable manure, used disk harrow early in March, 1911, plowed 
deep with single shovel, harrowed, rolled and harrowed again. This gave me a perfect 
seed bed. 

About the 20th of March I planted Irish Cobbler potatoes, set our Early Express Cab- 
bage that had been wintered over in cold frame. At the same lime, set out Grand Rapid 
Lettuce and Eclipse beets between the rows of cabbage. The beets were sown in cold 
frame first of February. I do not recommend planting between rows where one has plenty 
of ground. It is a very poor way to raise crops, especially if the soil is not rich with plant 
food. Then again it makes cultivation more difficult. I advocate everything of a kind 
planted in straight rows across the garden. 

Smooth, medium sized potatoes were selected, cut half in two, and planted four inches 
deep. I prefer medium size tubers. I do not cut to one and two eyes because I think 
it highly essential to leave plenty of meat to furnish nutriment to the sprouts until they 
have taken root and can get food from the soil. The size of the seed piece is of much 
more importance than the number of eyes it contains. However, a piece should not contain 
less than two eyes. 

Planted Gradus and Thomas Laxton peas; it is hard to say which of the two I liked 
the best. Both are immense peas and as sweet as they can be. Planted Crimson Globe 
Radish, Hollow Crown parsnip, Giant Podded pole lima beans, Missouri Wonder pole 
L-x—r.- Daisy muskmelon. Princess Watermelon, Early White Spine cucumber. White Ever- 
green corn, '^'-!..'!se Giant pepper, Tobasco pepper. Black Beauty Egg plant. All of the 
above except the radishes, parsnips and corn were started in 4x4 paper boxes in hot-bed 
and cold frame. This was my first experience with the paper boxes, and I liked them so 
well that I will never try to garden again without them. 

Set out three hundred Early June tomato plants that had been transplanted from hot-bed 
in paper boxes and put in cold frame until they were in bloom. These tomatoes commenced 
to ripen the last of June and every one was sold 
at ten cents per pound. I realized from the entire 
garden, after supplying the table for eight peo- 
ple, $144.78. My fertilizer and manure cost me 
$15.00, plowing and harrowing $3.00. Labor 
(which I did all myself) at $1.50 per day, I 
am satisfied did not cost more than $20.00. This 
leaves me $100.00 to the good. I intended to 
plant celery where I had early cabbage and po- 
tatoes, but was prevented from doing so by sick- 
ness. This would have netted me at least $40.00 
more. I am sending you a photo of a cluster of 
four tomatoes that weighed 50 ounces. My little 
54 pound girl stands beside them. If I live to 
see another summer, I expect to make you a 
belter report, for I am going to tack on two acres 
in addition to my present garden. 

The temptation is so great, I cannot close this 
report without saying a good word for Princess 
Watermelon and Improved Missouri Wonder 
Pole bean. The Princess has no equal from 
a view point of sweetness, and is the most pro- 
ductive melon I ever saw. The Missouri Won- 
der beans are the richest and most prolific I ever 
raised. I sold six bushels from 35 hills besides 
what we used. 

J. D. Waddle, Romney. W. V. 




Four Tomatoes that weighed 54 Ounces, and a 

54 Pound Girl all grown by J. D. Waddle, 

Rjmney, W. Va. 



34 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



ONIONS PAID HIM BEST. 

From Martin Brooks, Centralia, W. Va, 

Of my entire crop that paid me best, it was my onions, or which I enclose you a 
picture. My entire garden occupies one-third acre, or probably a little more, of which 
I planted about one-third in onions. I planted them last fall and they laid in the ground 
over winter and came up in the early spring. I put manure from the cow stable on them, 




A Good Onion Crop and Three Generations of Good Gardeners 



hoed them twice, and dug 12 bushels from the patch valued at $16.00, and you know it 
didn't take no very small amount of labor to attend a piece of ground of this size. Then 
I ordered two ounces of Yellow Globe Danver onion seeds and sowed them thick in my 
cornfield fence corners and in open spots wherever I could find an open place, and raised 
from two ounces of seeds seven gallons of nice sets to plant next spring for big onions. 
My sets are worth $3.50. I sowed the seeds in rows one foot apart and very thick in the 
row on the fifteenth day of April, and just pulled the biggest weeds out of them twice. 

Then I planted six hills of muskmelons, your Netted Gem, on the first day of May. 
I dug a hole in the ground for each hill of melons about 2J/2 feet wide by 1 ]/2 feet deep, 
and mixed manure in with the dirt, about two-thirds dirt and one-third manure, till the 
hole was filled up level again. Then I planted my muskmelon seeds on top of the hill, 
hoed them three times, pulled the biggest weeds out once more, and on the fifteenth of 
August my melons were ripening, some of the best, sweetest ones I ever tasted. I have 
tried several seedmen to get the true strain of the Netted Gem muskmelon, but always 
failed until I tried you. 

I always waif until the twentieth day of May to sow my late cabbage, and find it does 
much better and heads out nicer than what people sow earlier. I planted my cabbage in 
the open ground in hills on the twentieth day of May where I intended it to grow, hoed 
it three times, and had fine cabbage, although not a very large patch. 

Planted eight hills of cucumbers on the first day of May to eat in green state, and 
twelve more hills on the fourth day of July to pickle. Did not manure them any, but all 
done well and I got some nice pickles from those planted on the fourth of July. 

Planted some of your tomatoes on the first day of May in hills in the open ground, and 
beat all my neighbors for ripe tomatoes. 

Martin Brooks, Centralia, W. Va. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



35 




A Good Garden in Spite of Dry Weather. Good 
cultivation diid it 



A WOMAN FARMER WHO IS MAKING A BIG SUCCESS. 

From Allie Richardson, Baldwin, Kans. 

My place is in a valley with a spring branch running through it. The garden that 
I will tell you about is about five rods square. At the south side of the garden there is 
a strawberry patch about nine feet wide and two rods long, and I picked about ten gallons 
of berries from this patch. I plant my garden very close together and sometimes I get two 
or three crops on the same ground. 

On the seventeenth of March I planted my early garden. First, a peck of bottom onion 
sets which produced about three bushels. i here is a row of winter onions, which are very 
nice to have in the spring, and I 
make about three dollars a year on 
them. There was also a row of 
lettuce, radishes, beets, parsnips and 
turnips, and peas. The rows extend 
across the garden, and I had four 
rows of peas which averaged me 
about a dollar a row. I also 
planted a peck of early potatoes. 
This is the prmcipal part of my 
early garden. I raise all my 
plants in a hot-bed, such as sweet 
potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, celery, 
etc. 

The next planting was on the fifteenth of April. There was two rows of bunch beans 
of different kmds, for some do not come good when the ground is cold, and I planted them 
very thick so as to have some left when the cut worm has what he wants. Next was the 
cucumbers. I covered them so they would not get frost bit. Then I set my early cabbage, 
of which I have four rows, two rows of the small and two rows of the large heads. The 
small will be ready for use and can be pulled out, giving the large ones more room for 
growing. I plant lettuce and radishes about every three weeks all summer when I find 
a spot of ground vacant. I keep my ground well hoed and do not let a weed grow. 

About the first of May I transplanted my tomatoes of all different kinds. I have two 
rows and the plants are set about three feet apart each way. The Early June is the 
earliest tomato I know of. For sweet potatoes, I make my ridges about three feet apart. 
I set out about four hundred plants and they averaged about a bushel to every fifteen plants. 
I do not cut the vines off but pull them up and put them on the rows. I work everything 
at least once a week. If the ground is not worked and the weeds let grow, when you 
pull them they injure the plants. 

Now, for the melons. About the last of May or the first of June I planted about thirty 
liills which were about three feet apart each way. I plowed them until they started to 
vine and then I hilled them up. I had fine melons and took first prize at the Fair. I planted 

about seventy hills of squash and 
i36ju:i!x;n^^»~.vi,«i-jJi-.-^-A».ijav^ . , ^ tended them about the same as the 
t'^f-^-\-t':^^^p'^y'-^?''$-^'-^-:'^^^^^^ melons, and I raised them by the hun- 
dred. I took first prize at the Fair on 
them, also. I raised about fifty hills 
of pumpkins, principally for stock feed. 
They are so big no family wants to 
try them. These took second prize. 
There was five rows of popcorn in the 
corner of my garden, also some sage 
and parsley. From four rows of 
sweet corn, I had plenty for the table 
and three hundred ears to sell at 2c 
each. My pole beans were planted 
where they could climb the fence. 
I am a woman farmer who has been obliged to make a living for myself and three 
children. I have made my living for nine years now and have been engaged in farming 
nearly all of the time. This has been a very dry year. At times I was almost discouraged 




A Woman Farmer's Squash Patch. 70 Hills Made 
hundreds of squashes 



36 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



but I kept on working in my garden. People would say, "You are just working for nothing, 
it is not going to rain," but their crops failed while mine succeeded. My display at the 
fair consisted of forty-five varieties, and it took first prize. 

Mrs. Allie Richardson, Baldwin, Kansas. 

A BOY'S GARDEN. 

From William J. Roudabush, Brooklyn, Iowa. Age 14 years. 

I am going to try to write you a few lines in regard to my garden. In it I had water- 
melons, muskmelons, stock beets, pie pumpkins, turnips, radishes, salsify, hominy corn, sweet 
corn and popcorn, all grown from seed bought of you. Then I had potatoes, the seed of 
which I got of a grocerman. 

I planted most everything as your directions said. As I had only about a half a bushel 

of lale seed potatoes, and was experimenting with them, 
I planted them about 26 inches apart. Everything grew 
fine except the salsify, which did not come up at all. I 
can honestly say that I have never tasted anything so 
good as those radishes. 

I can't place a value on my stock beets at all, as 
I do not know what they sell for, and besides I raised 
them for my calf which I bought last spring. The 
beets certainly are fine ones. The pie pumpkins are 
fine large ones. I bought only one package of seeds 
of these and put all of them in only three hills, but 
they spread almost across the garden. You can see the 
pumpkin vines in the photograph. 

I did not sell all of my garden stuff, but we used 
it, so that is just about the same. However, I will 
try to make a calculation of the stuff that I raised. 

Radishes $ 3.00 

Turnips 3 00 




An Automobile Truck in a Boy's 
Garden 



Stock Beets (not less than) . 

Potatoes (late) 

Melons (not less than) . 

Pie pumpkins 

Sweet corn 

Popcorn 



8.00 

2.50 

5.00 

1.00 

1.00 

2.00 



Total $25.50 

It did not take up much of my time to tend my garden, and besides I was sick almost 
all summer long. The photo is a picture of my little sister on my home-made automobile 
out in my garden. William J. Roudabush, Broolil^n, Iowa. 



HOT AND DRY IN WESTERN KANSAS. 

From Mrs. W. H. Finkle, Meade, Kansas. 

Will tell you about my garden you requested me to report to you this fall, and how many 
vegetables I had. We had to contend with insects of all kinds, and Western Kansas certainly 
was hot and dry this year and a bad season for anything to grow. I am sure glad I bought 
my seeds of you, for I certainly did have a fine garden, 
all that could be expected. 

I had a spot of ground in tomatoes 16x75 feet. They 
yielded an abundant crop, were of fine quality, and 1 
was much pleased with the results. I can't tell the 
number of bushels I ra-.sed. I had, also, an abundance 
of fine cabbage. Cucumbers did well. Had a fine 
crop of beets, and onions from the seed yielded good. 
Peppers did fine. 

1 am sending you a picture of some of the garden 
truck, and some in cans also. The baby in the picture 
is my grandson. We are sure proud of him. I am 
certainly pleased in every way with my garden. What One Woman Raised in Western 

Mrs. W. H. Finkle. McaJc, Kansas. ^""'^migt^fi^^lT'"'^'' 




THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 37 




Without a Doubt the Finest Tomato 
in the World, and the Youngest 
Farmer in Iowa 



2,183 TOMATOES FROM 64 VINES. 

From J. H. Freedline, Audubon, Iowa. July 6, 1911. 

My Dear Mr. Field: I am sending you a picture of the finest little field of Field's 
Early June tomatoes in the state, I believe. Just think of it, a little patch of ground 
twenty feet square with sixty-four of the nicest, thriftiest 
tomato vines on it that any one ever laid eyes on. On the 
first day of July I counted twenty-seven tomatoes on one 
fine vine, and they are all fine, only some are a fsw weeks 
earlier, having raised several dozen plants in boxes in the 
house. On one vine I counted twenty-seven tomatoes, most 
of them two inches m diameter, and just as smooth as an 
apple. I have a few of the celebrated Ponderosa in the 
same garden, but they are just beginning, to bloom at 
present. Early June is about two weeks earlier than any 
I have ever raised, and I have had excellent gardens for 
the last ten years. On one vine there is a cluster of thir- 
teen fine tomatoes that will ripen in the next two weeks. 
While they may be an unlucky number for one cluster, I 
should say it is a matter of good luck for every gar- 
dener 

A number of people have come and seen this mar- 
velous tomato patch, and they call it preacher's luck. 

Aug. 24. 1911. '-' :"-- ■ ■' ^JiiiiHi«ifc~^ 

We had new tomatoes from "Early June" July 10th, 
and have had them ever since. I keep picking them every 
other day and they keep right on coming. I am wonder- 
ing what this tomato will do in a good season. I am keep- 
ing a record of the tomatoes grown and disposed of and 
it almost reads like magic. If any one in the slate beats 

this he will have to get a move on. 1 planted the seed 
in the open ground for most of my vines on April 4th, 
but about one dozen plants I started in the house a few 
weeks earlier. 

Oct. 28, 1911. 

Now that the frosts have come and put an end to my 

garden, I am ready to report to you. My sixty- four vines 

of tomatoes averaged thirty-four fine tomatoes to each vine, 

or a grand total or 

2,183, just a little 

better than 34 to 

the vine. If the frosts 

had not come they 

would have averaged 

40 at least, as consider- 
able half ripe tomatoes 

were found on the 

vines after the first 

frost. 1 cannot well 

put a value on them. We had new tomatoes when here 

in the markets they were getting 25 cents for three lbs. 

We sold some and gave many to our friends and 

neighbors. I like the Early June tomato the best for 

three principal reasons. First, they are the earliest, 

2nd, they are the most prolific, 3rd, they are the most 

delicious for an early tomato. 

, ,, „ A , , I AnotherSampleof Field's Early June 

J. H. tREEDUNZ, Audubon, loi»a. 18 Fine, Large Tomatoes in sight 




July 12, 1911, from Seed Planted 
April 1, 1911 




38 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




' :»fa^?.jgt^'arafl»fc4^aaj<t.a, . 



CARROTS AND PUMPKINS PAID BEST BECAUSE HE TENDED THEM BEST. 

From John N. Witte, St. Cloud, Minnesota. 

I suppose I will be one of the last ones in sending my letter, but the cause is that my 

friend that took the picture of my garden did not have the pictures ready to send it in. But 

now 1 have got them and want to let you know about my garden contest. 
^ . , ^ I raised two rows of 

1 j carrots, one row of 

onions, two rows of 
table beets, three rows 
of Mangles, and out of 
one package of water- 
melon seed, I received 
from fifty to sixty water- 
melons. Out of one 
package of cucumber 
seed, I picked from 
thirty to forty gallons. 
One package of pump- 
km seed gave about a 
wagon box full of pump- 
kins. One of them we 

weighed, and it weighed forty-six pounds. These things I raised in the garden, and planted 

them just at the time when you told me to plant them. 
My garden is about 

120 feet long and 80 

feet wide. In the middle 

of this garden there is a 

path about a foot wide, 

and one on each side 

also. When the things 

were small yet, I first 

hoed them carefully and 

picked out the grass, but 

then they grew taller I 

took the garden plow and 

cultivated them, so I kept 

them clean. " 

I think the carrots and pumpkins paid me best. I think the success of these two were 

because I tended them best. 

John N. Witte, Si. Cloud, Minnesota. 



Two Minnesota Boys and Their Garden 




A Minnesota Garden 



TWO BUSHELS OF PEANUTS FROM 47 HILLS. 

From Mrs. Alice Casteel, Buffalo, Mo., R. No. 2, Box 58. 

The dry weather nearly got me, garden and all. However, what is left is fine. I had 
36 heads of cabbage to live, and they were large ones, too. I have 65 tomato plants, and 
1 will put up 30 gallons if the frost does not come too soon. I had ten hills of cucumbers 
and have put up 12 gallons of pickles. They are still bearing. All of my early garden 
did well. 

I cleaned my hen house every week and saved the manure for the garden. I hoed 
my garden over every week. My husband plowed the ground deep in the spring. After 
that, it was my work to keep it clean, and when the rains did come I had no weeds or 
crab grass to bother me. 

I wish you could see my peanuts. I have 47 hills and I will make 2 bushels and 
probably more. I covered the blooms four times and I notice a few blooms now. 

Give me a good sloping garden, plenty of chicken manure, a good hoe and rake 
and I will beat you all making garden — providing it is a favorable season. I got my 
seed from Henry Field, but I guess any kind of good seed would do. 

My garden is 30x80 feet. I wish I could send you a picture of it, but there is no 
photographer any closer than ten miles. 

Mrs. Alice Casteel, Buffalo, Mo., R. No. 2, Box 58. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 39 




Cora, Cabbage, and Sunflowers along the U. P. R. R. in Wyoming 



GARDENING IN WYOMING. 

From Anna M. Hess, Ft. Steele, Wyoming. 

I am sending you under separate cover two pictures of my garden. The sunflowers were 
so tall they hid my other 
flowers and vegetables, 
but all I told you about 
are there, and also some 
sweet corn, as we had 
roasting ears several 
times. The picture of 
cabbage was taken back 
of the house and is close 
to the U. P. R. R. Just 
across the walk there are 
some sweet peas and oth- 
er flowers and vegetables 
which would have made 
a nice picture, but I did 
not have them taken. 
The vine over the win- 
dow in the other picture 
is a wild cucumber. 

Anna M. Hess, Ft. Steele, Wyoming. 




A Woman's Flower Garden in Wyoming 



TOMATOES AT THE RATE OF $750.00 PER ACRE. 

From E. a. Newell, Massillon, O. 

We are sending you under another cover a picture of your tomato, Field's Early June, 
taken on or about July 8th. With us, they began to ripen the last days of June and we 
sampled them on July 4th. The seed was planted on Feb. 22nd, 1911, with other varieties. 



40 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



Well, the Early June came up first and stayed first. We planted out some 75 plants in a 
trial plot about May 1 5th, and we had quite a hard frost that night. I sprinkled them in 
the morning with the hose, but I looked for the blossoms to fall. Strange to say they d:d 
not. We kept count until the first of August, and there was 22J/2 to each stock, not 
counting what we used on the table. At the above rate, they would yield about $750.00 
per acre. I will send for some seed later. 

E. A. Newell, Massillon, O. 



GARDEN BETTER THAN SHE EXPECTED. 
From Lottie S. Newman, Groton, South Dakota. 




Good Vegetables from South Dakota 



I am sending you two 
pictures of garden truck 
taken Oct. 22, and con- 
sists of cabbage, squash, 
corn, beets, rutabagas, 
endive, sweet peas and 
scarlet flax. The larg- 
est rutabagas weighed 
8'/4 lbs., squash 16 lbs., 
cabbage 6 lbs. While I 
know that they could 
have weighed more, con- 
sidering what 1 had to 
contend with, they are 
better than I expected. 

Lottie S. Newman, Crolon, South Daf^ola. 



LUCK DUE TO HARD WORK. 

From Frederik Fite, Parkton, Md. 

I have a little less than a half acre of garden, but everything is fine. I had by the 
sixth of May my first peas, and have now, the fourth planting of peas up. I had my first 
sweet corn on the 7th of July, new potatoes by the 1st of July, and string beans on June 
24th, and cucumbers on the fifth of July. 

We had very hot weather here and it was very dry, but now it is better. 1 am only 
renting the house and garden and work by the day, but every mornmg at five o'clock finds 
me in my garden, and all the people in the neighborhood say 1 have the best garden for 
miles around. I am unable to send any picl,ure of my stuff I raised, for 1 don't have 
a kodak. 

I shall, if I live until next year, get all of my seed from you. I am also sure that 
you will receive orders from my friends. They would have ordered yet this year, but it 
was too late. I also have a lot of flowers, and I tend to a private park here and the 
owner of it is very fond of flowers and shrubs. 

I plowed my garden in February and planted my stuff early in March, as soon as the 
weather was fit. I have three rows of Sugar corn, four of peas, a bed of lettuce, 13 of 
potatoes, one and one-half of sweet potatoes, 2 of string beans, 2 of Lima, one of peanuts, 
and four large beds of flowers in front of my house, besides about a .dozen boxes with 
flowers. There is also four rows of tomatoes, 2 of cabbage and one-half of beets, a few 
pepper plants, and a lot of radishes. You may think I haven't got all this on such a small 
garden, but I can give you proof of my honesty and my word. 

I am selling a good deal of garden stuff. Corn brings 25c a dozen, peas 15c a quart, 
beans lOc a quart, potatoes $2.25 per bushel, and lettuce two and three heads for 10c. 

All the luck I got is due to hard work. I haven't a weed in my garden. 

Frederik Fite, Parkton, Met, 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 41 




Looks like there would be plenty to eat this winter at this house 



39 GALLONS OF CUCUMBERS FROM 27 HILLS. 

From Mrs. Wm. Hegglund, Gothenburg, Nebraska. 

We had a big hail on September 9th which about ruined our garden, but I will send in a 
report anyway. 

On April 9th I planted 
my tomatoes, cabbage, cauli- 
flower, and peppers in a 
small hot-bed. The weather 
was so cold that I didn't get 
to set anythmg m the garden 
till about May 20th. Al- 
though it has been very dry 
and lots of hot winds, but by 
watering the things they all 
did fairly well. 

My garden is 75 feet 
long and 35 feet wide. The 
gate is in the center of the 
south fence. The path runs 
straight across the garden 
from the gate, which divided 
the garden in the center. 
The west half was all in 
onions except one row of 
assorted flowers along the 
south fence west of the gate. 
Just north of the flowers was 
three rows of set onions. I planted three quarts and got 1 ]/2 bushels. The rest of the garden 
west of the path was seed onions. I planted 1 '/2 ounce of seed and got 4j/2 bushels. After 
the last of the set onions were used out, I planted 2 packets of onion seed for sets, but the 
hail pounded them to pieces, so 1 won't get any. The others were pounded pretty bad, but 
they healed over and seem to be coming out all right. I was short of room, so I planted 
my cucumbers among the onions. It worked all right until we had a sandstorm which broke 
the tops of the onions. I had 27 hills and got 39 gallons of cucumbers that would average 
from 2j/2 to 4 inches long. 

In the east half of the garden I planted three rows of tomatoes along the north fence, 
ten plants to each row which made 30 hills. Next, I planted one row of cabbage and then 
one row of cauliflower. I got 22 cabbage heads from 23 hills which averaged 5 lbs. each. 
The largest one weighed 1 I j/2 lbs. Next to the cauliflower I planted one row of peppers, six 
hills of cayenne and eight hills of Ruby King. I got one gallon ripe cayenne peppers and 
three Ruby King peppers. They had just commenced to turn when we had the hail. The 
cayenne were also loaded with green ones. Next to the peppers I planted one row of peas, 
which yielded seven gallons, and next to the fence I planted four hills of the Little Princess 
watermelons. I got eleven ripe ones, and the rest were bursted by the hail. The largest one 
weighed 11% lbs. They are the finest melons I ever saw, at least for this country. I planted 
three rows of beans between the rows of tomatoes and cabbage which yielded 47 gallons when 
I had to pull them out and let the tomatoes have the room. I left one row between the 
tomatoes and cabbage. I just cut the tops off and let them come out new. They had made 
nice tops and were in full bloom when the hail came, so I won't have any late beans. Between 
the rows of cauliflower and cabbage and between the cauliflower and peppers, I planted 
beets, but they didn't come so good, so I only got about a bushel. Between the peppers and 
peas, I planted a row of lettuce, but it didn't do much good, so we didn't have but four 
messes of it. I planted one-half packet of Chinese Rose Radish seed along the north fence 
and got one-half bushel to put down for winter use. When I planted my onion seed, I also 
dropped a few radish seed in the rows to mark them with so I could commence to cultivate 
earlier. I used the little round kind. They did splendid and according to what the market 
is here there would have been over $10.00 worth. I only got ten heads of cauliflower from 
21 hills. They were as large as a pie plate. From the 30 hills, I got two bushels of ripe 
tomatoes, the rest went when we had the ha:l. 

Mrs. Wm. Hegglund, Gothenburg, Nebrasf^a. 



42 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




LETTUCE AND RADISHES ALL SUMMER. 

From Harry Radlund, Kilbourn, Wisconsin. 

On April 9th I planted some lettuce in the hot-bed. It was the first outside planting of 
the year. In seven days it was up. Later, I planted some at different times, so that we have 

had lettuce all summer. 

On April 23d, I planted some 
kale seed from you. We tried 
to raise kale for ten years but never 
had any success. This year, the 
best is about 3'/2 feet high and 
about three feet wide without 
spreading the leaves. On the same 
day I planted some dill, parsley, 
onion seed and onion sets. The dill 
grew good and went to seed, the 

[Ttf .-^fittuMl '^^X.i* ^ ' ^^»r^te^S early cabbage grew good and all 

-«' i^'Tix*'. \ »k.c - ... -3r* .isai>«r,i TPv ^ ^^^ heads were used. The first 

planting of radishes was on April 
25th, and I have had radishes all 
summer. The Shenandoah tomatoes 
in the garden are dandies, the best 
we ever had. So are the cucum- 
bers. My cauliflower didn't grow 
very well in the warm weather, but 

is growing fine now. Last spring I got twelve Udo plants from the Government. Eleven 

of them died but the last one is a good one. 

I got a No. 6 Iron Age Wheel Hoe and seeder, a patented hoe, two common hoes, another 

hoe, and a home made narrow hoe. A straight tooth rake, a couple of bent tooth rakes, a 

trowel, an excelsior weeder, and some home made tools. 

Harry Radlund, Kilbourn, Wisconsin. 








Garden of Harry Radlund, Kilbourn, Wis, 



THE GARDEN IS HALF HIS LIVING. 

From Walpole Nockolds, Loire, Tex. 

I have about eight acres in my garden including orchard and berry patch. Mine is 
sandy land sloping to the south and east. I grew one-half acre of McGee, Globe, Dwarf 
Champion and Acme tomatoes, rows 6 feet apart, and plants four feet in rows. I never 
plowed them deep and had the finest tomatoes I ever raised till the drouth cut them short. 
I canned 26 gallons in molasses buckets and 300 3-Ib. cans. I have two canners and con- 
sider them one of the most important and profitable things in a gardener's equipment. I sold 
$25.00 worth of tomatoes, and we had all we wanted to use, which was quite an item 
as we are ten in the family, eight children, wife and self. 

I had two acres black eyed peas. I sold $30.00 worth of green, and $5.00 worth of 
dry ones, besides saving seed enough to plant V/i acres this fall, that are now blooming. 
I had one and one-half acres in watermelons in 12 ft. rows and 10 ft. rows, with a row 
of peas in the middle. I sold $102.00 worth besides eating all we wanted and feeding 
the culls to my hogs. I cultivate often and shallow until vines get too long and then 
use the hoe. 

My garden is half my living. I aim to have something growing the year round, but 
this year we had practically six months drouth here, but have had a few showers and 1 
have got some radishes and onions growing. This spring from January to April 1 sold 
$67.50 worth of vegetables. This stuff was all planted in narrow rows and tended with 
wheel hoes. It was hauled 22 miles and sold on the San Antonio market. 

I had two rows of Egg plants, not over 50 yards long, and off of these I sold $5.00 
worth and used all we wanted. 

My garden is fenced rabbit and chicken tight with poultry netting and barb wire. I never 
allow weeds to grow in my garden and very seldom break any of it. As fast as one crop 
is off I plant another, thus keeping the land busy the year round. I do all the planting 
and most of the work myself, and I do it thoroughly, systematically and well. I get the 
best seeds possible from reliable seedsmen, buying no seed from country stores. 

Walpole Nockolds, Loire. Tex, 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



43 



8I/2 PINTS OF PEANUTS FROM 10 HILLS. 

From Myrtle G. Miller, Minonk, Ills. 

Our garden is scarcely more than one-fourth of an acre. The soil is very rich and 
we thought lo improve upon it by mixing the manure from the poultry house with the soil. You 
will see tie result of it later on in this letter. 

Every inch of the ground is marked into beds, spaded, hoed and raked until the soil 
is very fine. ^X'hen completed, we have nice beds about six inches above the level of the 
ground. Only what ground we can get through with in one day is prepared, for when 
left it hardens and makes unnecessary work. We draw lines either across or lengthwise 
of the bed and sow the seeds in rows far enough apait lo allow room for hoeing. We had 
thirteen kinds of vegetables and forty-three kinds of flowers. 

Now, I will tell you what effect the manure had upon the vegetables and flowers. 
Radishes were larger, more tender, and matured quicker. Lettuce was very nice, some 
heads would not go m a gallon crock. Onions were not so large. Beans were more tender, 
but did not yield as many to a bush. Peas did not amount to anything. Beets and carrots 
were just grand. Tomatoes went to top but yielded a great amount of fine quality. Three 
of them weighed five pounds. I planted ten peanuts, and when I pulled them I had 8^ 
pints. They were cultivated the same as potatoes. 

Our garden is said to be the finest in the country. We expected a better result but 
the weather has been against us and our garden was planted in the last of May and the 
first of June. Our garden seems to us this year a sort of a failure, but other people think 
it is grand. We don't grow a garden only for home use and our own pleasure. What we 
don't use, we divide with the neighbors. We give our flowers to those that haven't any. 
The harder one works in the garden the better she will like the flowers; don't you think so? 

Myrtle G. Miller, Minonk, Ills. 



"MOTHER RUNS THE GARDEN." 

From Mrs. Belle Chapman, Vermillion, South Dakota. 

We had dry weather, cold, cut worms, cabbage worms, and all pests known and unknown. 
To say that I was discouraged but mildly expresses my feelings at the time. Of course I gave 
up the contest, but I 
thought I would tell you 
a few things about my 
garden, which turned out 
better than most of my 
neighbors after all, as the 
blue lags that I took at 
the County Fair will tes- 
tify. I took first on 
largest and best collec- 
tion of vegetables, and 
first on popcorn, salsify, 
onions, beets, lima beans, 
dry beans, and second 
on stock beets; all from 
your seed. 

I set out tomatoes the 
fifth time before I got a 
stand and cabbage the 
same. I planted onions 
expecting to raise a hun- 
dred bushels, but the dry, cold snow, and then a hot wind finished them. I only got seven 
bushels, but that is enough for our use. Had the ground plowed up and planted to potatoes 
which did fine. Planted parsnips and carrots three times, but did not get any. Planted 
beets three times and got about two bushels. Most other things did better, so that we sold quite 
a lot while green and have the cellar full for our own use. We are a large family, but 
mother runs the garden. 

I had a poor garden, but if I had not had the best seed I would not have had any. 

Mrs. Belle Chapman, Vermillion, S. D. 




Display of Vegetables grown by Mrs. Belle Chapman, Vermillion, S. D. 



44 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




SOLD $73.72 FROM A SMALL GARDEN BESIDES ALL THEY USED AND 

GAVE AWAY. 

From Mrs. Frank E. Bauman, Barrington, Ills. 

I live in the country 2J/2 miles from two towns where I have disposed of my garden 

vegetables. The cize of my garden is about one-half acre, probably a trifle more. The soil 

is black loam well tiled. 

I started my hot-bed 

#"" "^ /^;*M|^J|MSBg^r^|N * V 1^ ^ "" April 1st, and put in it cel- 

'i^MB^W* ^^^^^^'"^V j\ -^^ ^"^y* '3^^*^' ground cherries, 

^'•^^BlSk^iJi''^ ""^^^^A^Tj^ tomatoes, peppers, early cab- 

¥' ^saX^L^A IST A 'i bage, cauliflower, and sowed 

' ttdrf ^ wfc^i T t''r > ^ ^ '" '^^ garden lettuce and 

i .., *A ^ radishes. April 12th I 

—^———^^ ' ^ '-«**•' ,, planted sweet corn, peas, 

'" *■ ^^■■^■^^* 1 ^^ ' beans, lettuce, spinach and 

JjS^' '^-~ ^■■^ V y fc^ . "* ^^^ flowers. Sowed late cab- 

^' - ^B^^«lii^Z!rr!?"~* ^ bage April 22nd. I set out 

beet plants when my neigh- 
bors did not have their gar- 
den plowed. April 24t.h I 
A ir'^jmrn^ ^^^^^HilflHL^ ^RL^^I sowed radishes and main 

crop of beets, carrots, tur- 

Raymond and icluui Bauman and some of the Garden ■ 3g( ^^^^ iQc worth of 

they helped tend " , i on r 

onions and sowed ZUc or 

onion seed. The 29lh of April I planted beans, peas, spinach, and set out over one hundred 
early cabbage plants and three dozen cauliflower. May 1 0th, I planted cucumbers, sweet 
corn, beans, peas, and set out tomato plants. On May 25th sowed beets, carrots, and planted 
a few peanuts that did very well. I planted some more beans, cucumbers, lettuce and set 
out tomato plants July 14th. 

I sold my first sweet corn the 3rd of July. During this time I was very careful how 
I sowed and planted in the light and dark of the moon. I was also very careful to sow 
and plant so one did not shade the other. I drilled all the beets and carrots about one foot 
apart, ground cherries and tomatoes three feet each way. Beans, I drop in hills nine 
inch in a row and nine inches apart and four in a hill. I started to hoe as soon as my 
plants were large enough and hoed deep all summer to keep the ground loose and mo-.st. 
I had an awful time with cabbage worms and cucumber bugs, but found nothing better than 
slacked lime. 

The following is what I sold : 

Cabbage and tomato plants $ 1 . 1 7 

Lettuce and radishes, bunched 4.20 

Pie plant, bunched 1 .50 

Spinach Swiss Chard, bunched 1 .90 

Ca-rofs, Danvers Half Long 3.20 

Beets, Eclipse, bunched 6.53 

Peas, my own seed, at 7c per lb 4.13 

Peppers, Bull Nose, sold by doz 1 .02 

Beans, my own seed, at 7c per lb 9.80 

Onions, Yellow Globe Danvers, bunched 3.75 

Turnip, Early Milan, bunched 1 . 1 5 

Tomatoes, New Stone 5.13 

Currants and Gooseberries 2.40 

Cabbage, Volga, Early Wakefield 9.14 

Cucumbers, my own seed 6.03 

Caulif.ower, Early Snow Ball 3.33 

Sweet Co n, Early Pose 5.59 

Ground C'lerry, my own seed 3.70 

Total $73.72 

Besides this I gave a lot away and have in the cellar for my own use 3]/2 bushels beets. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



45 



14 bushels carrots, which I intend to cut for my chickens; 1 '/2 bushels turnips, 60 head of 
cabbage, and made 18 gallons of saurkraut. I have at least six bushels of ground cherries, 
3 gallons salted beans, 12 gallons of salted cucumbers. 

Mrs. Frank E. BaumaN, Darrington, Illinois. 



SICK AND HAD TO GIVE UP HIS 
GARDEN. 

From Joseph B. Ordel, 
colton, s. d. 

I am sorry to say I can't enter your Gar- 
den Contest, because I have been in bed at 
Sioux Falls hospital and had an operation, so 
1 could not take care of my garden and it 
has all died out and is all gone. 

Every seed came up fine, but I was not 
able to tend to it so if is not the seeds' fault, 
it IS my fault as I am not able to do any- 
thing yet. If I don't get any better, I will 
have to leave the country. 

Joseph B. Ordel, Cohort, S. D. 



THE CRAYON PENCIL DRAWINGS 
WERE ALL RIGHT BUT THEY 
DID NOT REPRODUCE WELL. 

From H. O. Helgeson, Colfax, Wis. 



1, — 




The Boy who had to go to the Hospital and 
could not tend his Garden 



I have reced a Good Crop of Garden dis year my Garden was 100 Feet Squor aroun. 
i Ploud my Garden Good before i started too Plant it, and den i Put Som Menur on it. 
Cabes I raced a Good Crop too i Sold tem at 50c Bushal. i had oney 10 bushol of 
dem dis yeer, and i had Som Carol too and i Got 10 Bushol of dem dis your Sold at 
45c Bushol and I Raced som Tomatoes i Raced 1 5 Bushol thay was wort 45c Bushol 
and Flours was pudy Faer too. 

I will Kindle ask you for won Ting, if it Will be oil rit to drow my Pictures of 
Gorden wit comen Crayons Pencil I have ask my Friends for won picture codack but 
day hav not enney too boro too me, so der for i Will drop you a fuw Lines abut dis 
Let me Now by retruni Mail if dis will be all rit or not. 

H. O. Helgeson, Colfax, Wis., R. R. 5, Box 63. 



GARDEN ALL IN LONG ROWS. 

From Mrs. Blanche Neal, Moorhead, Iowa. 

Our garden plot of little more than one-t'iird acre of blue grass sod was disked twice, 
plowed, disked twice more, then harrowed and fenced. An early garden of radishes, 
lettuce, peas, beans and onions was' put in the second week of April. The rest of tSe 
cabbage and tomato plants and peanuts was put in about May 10th. 

The whole garden was put in straight rows and worked with a team and cultivator. 
It was all cultivated twice and parts of it three or four (imes. After the plants and vines 
were spread so tSe learn and cultivator could not be used, we went over it all twice, pulling 
the weeds by hand and fed them to the hogs. This kept the garden clean and the ground 
loose, so that very little hoeing was done by hand. 

By the fourth of July we had ripe tomatoes, cabbage and sweet corn to use. We 
picked the first ripe watermelon the !9th of July. All of our seeds came from the Henry 
Field Seed Company, except part of them we saved ourselves from last year's garden. 



46 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



Tomato plants were set in between the early radishes and lettuce and late turnips and 
beans sowed where the early peas and beans were. 

We had plenty of vegetables for our own use, gave a good deal away and sold a total 
of $44.27. We dug two bushels of sweet potatoes (had almost half used before digging 
time), lj/2 bushels of peanuts and 1 14 bushels of beets to put away. So we feel well paid 
for the work spent on our garden. 

Mrs. Blanche Neal, Moorhead, Iowa. 

' *" 24 PRINCESS MELONS FROM 6 HILLS. 

From Henry Love, Union City, Mich. 

Here is my report and the picture of a "Princess" 
melon I raised from those few seeds you sent me. In 
the picture you can see my fine stand of Kaffir corn. 
It was fine, but my cow peas behind it beat all. I am 
planning to send early for seed next sprmg. 

It was June 3rd before I got a seed into the ground. 
From six hills of Princess melons I had 24 luscious ones, 
each fit to set before a kmg. 

I would have sent in my report earlier, but we 
moved and the catalog got misplaced. 1 did so want to 
earn a prize, for my papa is not able to work and my 
mama has to work out to keep me in school. 

Henry Love, Union Cit^, Mich. 




A Fine Princess Melon 



HAD SOME SPLENDID SWEET CORN 

From Mrs. Annie McEmber, Pentwater, Michigan. 

I will try to tell you about my garden I raised, but as I wrote you before, this past season 
has been the extreme of hot, cold, dry and wet. But here is what I sold: Ten bushels of 
tomatoes at $1.00 per bushel, 10 bushels 75c per bushel, 15 bushels 50c, total for lomaloes 
$25.00. String beans $11.00, ten hundred ears sweet corn at $1.00 per hundred, $10.C0. 
One hundred heads cauliflower, 50 at 10c each and 50 at 12c each, $11.00; 5 bushels beets 
35c per bushel, $1.75; 5 bushels carrots, 35c per bushel, $1.75; 50 bushels Early Potatoes 
at 85c per bushel. Fifteen crates strawberries which sold for 85c per crate, and besides we 
used lots of fresh berries and canned up for winter use, and it is not any small amount of 
fresh or canned fruit or vegetables either that we use in our family of eight. We have used 
quantities of green stuff such as every good garden ought to contain which I haven't given 
account of yet. String beans and shelled beans for fall and winter use, Lima beans, beets, 
carrots, onions, both green and dry; parsnips, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips, radishes, lettuce, 
peas, asparagus, celery, cucumbers, popcorn, pie plant, peppers, squashes, pumpkins, water- 
melons and muskmelons. Besides I have one row each of currants, gooseberries and seven 
varieties of fine 10-year old grape vines. Say, we had all the nice sweet potatoes we have 
needed for use, also husk tomatoes and purple plum tomatoes. 

This report has been unavoidably delayed, but I will just send it along so you can see 
what one farmer's wife, who has been in poor health is trying to do. My husband isn't the 
least in love with any kind of garden work. All the help I gel is now and then one of the 
children help an hour or so and two or three limes during the season. All vines, plants and 
bushes that stay green year after year are set in one side of the garden plot in rows so as to 
not be trampled on, in the spring when the ground is plowed, then everything is set or planted 
in rows running the same way. Where there is only a few short rows of any kind, I continue 
the rows the full length of the garden with some other kind of vegetable. My husband says 
there would be about I ^ acres of ground in my truck patch if it was altogether. 

Taking all in all I think I received the most ready cash with the least expense for my crop 
of sweet corn, as nearly every stalk had two good ears on it. Then the fodder is selling for 
3'/2 to 4c per bundle, which means another profit of $1.50 or more. The tomatoes brought 
more but cost much more for the care spent on them and more ground. 

Mrs. Annie McEmber, Pentwater, Michigan. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 47 



TENDS THE GARDEN WITH A TEAM. 
From Jacob Servis, Logan, Iowa. 

I thought I would write you about my dry weather garden. It looks well considering the 
dry weather. I had a dozen pictures taken and will send you some. 

I have about an acre in my garden, and I am in the mushroom business too, and eighty 
acres of land to see to. So you can see I have something to do. 

Now as far as tending the garden, you will see in the picture that everything is in rows 
three feet apart. 1 plow everything big and little with the garden plow about three times 
and three times with the cultivator, and hoe it about three or four times if needed. 

Jacob Servis, Logan, lon>a. 



A NICE GARDEN ACCORDING TO THE SEASON. 
From Mrs. Jennie Niswonger. 

Mr. Field, I will tell you about my garden, which is 100 feet long and 54 feet wide. 
I sowed the celery, cabbage and beets the middle of April. I had good plants of them, 
and I sold quite a few 
of them. I had a nice 
small patch of cucumbers 
that bear well. My cab- 
bage IS heading nice, too. 
I have five rows of 
sweet potatoes and five 
of Irish potatoes. I set 
the celery in between the 
sweet potato ridges. I set 
beets around the peas 
and the tomatoes along 
the fence. 

I had a small patch 
of early Ohio potatoes 
that was good. I then 
planted sweet corn be- 
tween the rows, and be- 
tween the late potatoes 
I set late cabbage. 

I watered the flowers and garden every morning and evening with the hose. I will try 
to get a picture of some of the vegetables and send it later. I have a nice garden accord- 
ing to the season. 

Mrs. Jennie Niswonger. 







#" " 



Some Fine Cabbage and Beans 



PROUD OF FIELD'S EARLY JUNE TOMATO 

From Edward G. Knapp, Oswego, New York. 

You will find enclosed a photograph of my Field's Early June tomato which I am very 
proud of. I got from 25c to 30c a bushel more than I did for any other kind. People that 
has had them once wants them again. 1 had customers tell me that they will keep nice and 
hard for a week, where others get soft the next day. Now this picture, as you will see, is 
pretty well loaded down. I tried to hold it up by the roots when I had it taken, but I could 
not, as it was too heavy. There was more than fifty tomatoes on it. 

The way I plant my tomatoes is by plowing and harrowing the ground good, then mark 
it four feet both ways. Then I furrow it out one way, putting some manure in the hill and 
some dirt over it, then I place the plants on the cross mark and cover quite deep. As soon 
as the plants straighten up, I cultivate them both ways until they get too big, then I stop. 
As to how much I made, I can't tell you yet, as I am still picking them every other day. 
Will tell you later. 

E. G. Knapp, Onvego, Nerv Yorl^. 



48 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



f ■• ■ 




t,m 




i 

1 


i^^n 


^M 






A Good Garden in South Dakota in spite of Dry Weather 



LETTUCE THE MOST PROFITABLE. 
From Lottie E. Newman. Groton, S. D. 

My garden is 6 rods and 9 feet each way and contains the following vegetables and 
vines: 14 rows of cabbage, 16 of rutabagas, 8 of onions, 1 of lettuce, I of endive, 2 of 

carrots, 2 short rows of 
beets, 1 of peas; had two 
of radishes, but tiave ealen 
them up long ago; 12 rows 
of popcorn, four outside of 
garden fence; 80 hills of 
sweet corn, 6 hills of Field s 
sample corn, which can be 
seen in back ground. Will 
say here that every kernel 
grew, as I counted them be- 
fore planting. 136 plants of 
tomatoes, 1 7 hills of water- 
melons, 12 of muskmelons, 
14 of Hubbard Squash, 45 of cucumbers. Then, I also have a few flowers, which are 
now in blossom, which consist of 3 short rows of sweet peas, 3 of nasturtiums, 2 of poppies, 
I of sunflower, 1 of scarlet flax. 

This has been a dry summer. There is no grain crops at all in this locality, but the 
corn looks good. I am sure I don't see how the garden lived and looks as well as it does. 
These pictures were taken July I6fh. The garden was planted in an old hog yard which 
was sown to some kind of grain every summer. It was well plowed and then harrowed 
until nice and smooth, then all of the seeds were put in with the garden drill far enough 
apart so they could be cultivated with a hand cultivator. Then, 1 have used the hoe a 
good deal, in fact I hoed and cultivated almost constantly during the very hot weather. 

I have so far found lettuce the most profitable* as I have sold $3.00 worth to a hotel. 
The lettuce was sown between two rows of corn and it grew nice and tender, and was 
much better than lettuce sown by itself. This week, I am to take some rutabagas to the 
same hotel. If the dry weather hadn't interfered, I would have had a garden to have 
been proud of. 

The army worms put in their appearance soon after the pictures were taken and have 
eaten off all the onion tops, then went after the cabbage and rutabagas. The tomatoes 
are not hurt at all. They came so thick and fast and worked so quick there wasn't much 
use trying to fight them, although I did put Paris Green on part of the garden. 

Lottie E. Newman, Croton, S. Dal^. 



ENOUGH MELONS FOR A FAMILY OF 6 FROM T'WO HILLS OF PRINCESS. 

From J. M. Plummer, 340 Orient Way 
Rutherford, N. Y. 

I enclose a photo of Princess Watermelon. 
We had two hills only, but had a large num- 
ber of melons, enough for our family of six 
and some to spare. We think the flavor 
excellent, and . the half watermelon looks so 
pretty on the table, one-half to a person. It 
is a decoratioji as well as a dessert. 

J. M. Plummer, 

340 Orient Wa^, Rutherford, N. Y. Princess Melons 







DRY WEATHER GOT HIM. 
From H. H. Dowding, Jacksonville, Mo. 

Owing to the continuous drouth that prevailed here, I have very little to say of my 
garden crops. Most garden truck failed to produce anything at ail. I had one Princess 
watermelon that weighed four pounds, and it was fine. The free packet of Japanese Beans 
produced a full crop in spite of the drouth. They are not quite ripe yet. 

H. H. DowDiNG, JacJisomiUe, Mo. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 49 








5 bu. of Onions grown on a piece of ground 10x32 feet in size 
Dyjas. Koser, Abbott, Colo. 



LOTS OF STUFF FROM A SMALL GARDEN. 
From Jas. Koser, Abbott, Colo. 

I have wished lots of times for a good garden with lots of truck in it. This year, I 
have it, and this is the way I got it. First I got four seed catalogs, and out of the four 
I picked Henry Field's 
seed catalog and bought 
a few dollars' worth of 
seed of different kinds. 
After all danger of frost 
was over, I put in my 
garden, the last week in 
May, onions and pota- 
toes much earlier. _^ 

^^Hi^ . ^ -'^ v> 

I laid off ground for ■^■K ^ , > «-. 

the different kinds of 
seed I wanted to plant 
and put them in, and 
they all came up quick. 
I kept if all well hoed 
and free from weeds, 
and I was well paid for my work, as I have harvested some fine truck, as you will see 
by the pictures I am sending you. 

My best crop was cabbage, onions and turnips. I kept them well hoed and free from 
weeds, and they couldn't do anything but grow and make good. 

The only way to get 
' -SM^B^M^^M^^^H^Mid a good garden is to buy 

good seeds, then put 
your ground in good 
shape, and when all dan- 
ger of frost is past, 
plant your seeds care- 
fully and not too thick. 
When they get up far 
enough, then begin to 
use the hoe and keep the 
ground well stirred, not 
too deep, and keep free 
from weeds, and with a 
fair per cent of rain you 
will sure gel a good 
profit. 

The following is what I got from my garden only 85x73 feet in size: 

Ripe Tomatoes 1 1/2 bu. Summer Squash 20 bu. 

Green Tomatoes 2 bu. Pumpkins 65 bu. 

Parsnips I bu. Celery (;5 bunches 

Carrots I bu. 

Cabbage 115 head 

Peas 30 qt. 

Beets 1 bu. 

Cucumbers 10 bu. 

Muskmelons 20 bu. 

Watermelons 15 bu. 




'All of my Onions, 5 bu. , and just a sample of everything else I had; 

see the Celery, ain't it fine— but Oh that big, fat Kleckley's 

Sweet Watermelon on top of the bunch." 



Peanuts 80 quarts 

Onions 5 bu. 

Turnips 5'/2 bu. 

Lima Beans 20 quarts 

Rice Popcorn I peck 

Sweet Corn 2 bu. 

Jas. Koser, Abboll, Colo. 



MISSOURI BEATS THE WORLD. 
From Roosevelt Harrell, Urbana, Missourl 

I raised and sold from a small garden 29x12 yards wide, 20 gallons of beans, $20.00 
worth, sold $2.45 worth of watermelons, 75c worth of beets, 12 gallons of cucumbers, $2.45 
worth, 75c worth of onion sets and 50c worth of peas. Sold $6.00 worth of tomatoes. 

Roosevelt Harrell, Urbana, Missouri. 



50 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



PRIZETAKER ONION BEST. 

From Mrs. S. E. Dexter, Ballagh, Nebraska. 

I could not find any way to take any pictures of my garden, but am sending you my letter 
and description of my garden anyway. I have about one-half acre in my vegetable garden 
and a flower bed about 18 feet square. This year I had a fine patch of string beans. They 
grew so rank and bore so many beans on each vme. 

I plant my garden in rows far enough apart so they can be cultivated with a two horse 
cultivator, and then 1 hand hoe it all after the cultivator has been over it. I hoe it over two 
• or three times so as to keep the ground loose and mellow. 

I like the Prizetaker onion the best of all. They grow the best for me. Pumpkins are so 
good paying crop for me. 1 like the Big Tom pumpkin, as it is good to feed milk cows. 
Our cows, when fed on them give richer and more milk. I raise vegetables for my own 
use in summer and to can for winter, as we are not where we can market them very handy. 

Mrs. S. E. Dexter, Ballagh, Nebraska. 



$30.00 WO.^TH OF TOMATOES FROM A SMALL PATCH. 

From Mrs. Joe Ammann, Milan, Kans. 

My whole garden, early and late, covered about two-thirds of an acre. Both early 
and late garden was planted from seeds bought from you, and considering the drouth they 
all did very well, and some of it did exceptionally well. We have a pump close to the 
garden run by a gasoline engine, and we ditched the garden ourselves with a small plow 

and watered it when we 
p^~" '"' thought it needed it. The 

' early garden did very 

well. The lettuce, your 
Hanson, was very fine, 
much went to waste. 
The peas and beans were 
cut short by the drouth, 
but furnished us enough 
for family use. I planted 
four quarts of onion sets 
and we used from them 
* continually after they 
had grown large enough 
for the table, and have 
dug one and one-half 
bushel for winter. 

The hot winds came 
in time to cut my crop of 
sweet corn very short, 
still we had quite a little 
for the table. Of my late garden, the cabbage and tomatoes did the best, but the cut 
worms were bad on the cabbage plants. I put out over 300 cabbage plants. Early Jersey 
Wakefield and Surehead, but only about 300 lived and they did very well, indeed. 
Besides using a great deal, giving lots away, and saving a nice lot for kraut, I sold over 
$5.00 worth. You can see from my picture how nice the tomato vines took. I put out 
60 plants of the Early June and 120 of the New Stone. Although they all did exceptionally 
well, the Early June did the best. I have used and given away a great many bushels, 
and have sold, I think, at least $30.00 worth. 

Like our Irish potatoes, our sweet potato crop is very short, but we have had some 
for the table. The Watermelons, Improved Kleckley Sweet, came up well and the vines 
looked fine, but we had all sorts of bugs to fight on them and the melons did not set on 
well, so we only had a few. My beets, Blood Turnip, deserve prominent mention. They 
were large, fine and juicy, and I had a nice large crop of them. I credit my success to 
the watering and general good care. 

- Mrs. Joe Ammann, Milan, Kam. 




A Fine Garden in Western Kansas in Spite of the Dry Weather. 
Good Cultivation Did It. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 51 



EARLY JUNE TOMATO HAS BEEN BEST CLEAR THROUGH. 
From Frank Jones, Stanberry, Missouri. 

Enclosed you will find three pnolo views which may show you a little of the general 
appearance of my garden, but they cannot show you the real pleasure 1 get out of it. 

This has been a very dry season and very discouraging lo gardeners, but I have everything 
planted in rows four feet apart, which enabled me to use a one horse harrow often, and in that 
way kept things growing. 

My garden is noted 
by all travelers for the 
beauliful flowers 1 grow. 
1 have a row the entire 
length of the garden, 
commencing at the front 
with gladiolus, then with 
different annuals, in- 
creasmg m height tow- 
a ds the back of the gar- 
den, ending with cannas, 
dahlias and sunflowers. 

Pole beans, 1 plant 
in hills four feet square 
and use poles eight feet 

long crossed and tied in the middle, which makes a veritable wigwam when covered with vines, 
and brace each other so they do not blow over like straight poles. 

Tomatoes I plant four feet apart each way and drive four stakes five feet long near the 
plant and flare them at the top and nail lath on the four sides and find it a success. I made 
a test with tomatoes. I planted Field's Early June, Earliana, Chalk's Early Jewell and 
Livingston's Globe at the same time and gave them equal care. Early June gave ripe fruit 
first and has been best clear through. 

Frank Jones, Stanberry, Missouri. 




A Typical Misiouri Farm Home and Garden 



SOLD OVER $50.00 WORTH OF TOMATOES FROM 135 PLANTS. 

From Mrs. F. E. Griggs, Raymond, Nebraska. 

Having little strength, I could not undertake a large garden, but chose early cabbage, 
tomatoes, celery, peppers, lettuce, endive, watermelons and muskmelons. 

February 1st, I started my seeds in boxes in my room, as I do like to watch things 
grow. Well, I got enough of it this time, for I had over 1,500 plants, and about once a 
week they had to be thinned out and transplanted until my room soon looked like a green- 
house, and 1 could scarcely keep up with them. Field's Early June, Earliana, and Shenan- 
doah were close rivals, and my cabbage plants came up so thick that it almost seemed that 
several plants came from each seed. I learned not to try to raise over seventy-five plants 
in three windows again, but to get hot-bed sash and make a hot-bed or cold frame. 

This was a queer year, and early in April I had to begin carrying out the boxes and 
tin cans of plants into a little sunny spot, I fenced with 7 foot netting. I covered boxes 
over them at night, but often had to wheel them back and into the house for night. 

The first buds were seen on the tomatoes April 19th, and I continued trying to harden 
them, and May 1st we had several inches of snow and many under the boxes were frosted, 
while three had been set in the ground early in April came through in good shape. If 
was May 9th to 16th before they could be gotten out into the ground, and after giving away 
about 50 tomato plants, I had 135 left for my own little garden. The first blooms came 
May 19th. I made hundreds of paper boxes for the tomato plants, but found it does not 
do to transplant into them more than one week before they are to go out into the ground, 
as the soil bakes and dries out and they turn yellow in spite of good care. 

The early cabbage, when set out, began to grow well. The cut worms took it bad, and 
then it suddenly seemed at a standstill for want of moisture. But it held it's own well until 
rains came and made a good crop. When I set out my tomatoes, they were given a quart 
or two of liquid fertilizer. The weeds were kept down and hoed the best I could, which 
wasn't half good enough, and they were soon suffering for water, as it was very dry then. 



52 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



I had worked very hard for four months, and my garden was a very nice one and I 
couldn't see it die, so started in to carry water (a long distance up a 30-foot creek bank). But 
it did not rain until fall. I carried and carried water and liquid fertilizer and finally give 
out and quit. The tomatoes in the start set a large crop, and then for weeks the blossoms 
could only dry and fall off, but the fall rains washed the fertilier down and they again set 
the largest crop I ever saw. I pruned my vines severely and also pinched off all tomatoes 
that would be gnarled or poor shape, as soon as I could see them, and it paid well in the 
nice crop of smooth ones I got. The first were ripe July 4th, and on July 8th we were 
already oversupplied and began selling the surplus to people who had no gardens at all this 
year. They were 15c per lb. at first, and people said, "Too dear to eat, " so my first ones 
went at 3c. Later, as they acquired a taste for them, 1 got 5c, then 7J/2C and 10c, but 
always 3c to 5c under the town retail price, although I had to deliver them. 

This was just my little 
home patch of 135 
plants. On Aug. 26th 
they dropped to 5c, as 
people were just getting 
a few scattered ones of 
their own, and up to that 
date I had sold $50.00 
worth. They were then 
coming so fast that I had 
to go on the jump almost 
to dispose of them, and 
in my haste one foot 
slipped from the buggy 
step and I fell, break- 
ing and badly crushing 
a limb just above the 
ankle. So that ended 
my garden. Not entirely 
either, for my heart was 
down there and the fol- 
lowmg week with this 
fractured limb in a plas- 
ter cast, I crawled down 
to it and gathered them 
and tried to reach the 
house with a bushel of 
them, and it has retarded 
my progress, until now, 
two months later, I am 
still unable to walk 
much. I then had to 
give the patch away, and 
there have been fully 
40 bushels eaten, given 
away and wasted besides 
my $50.00 worth sold; 
and the frost has just 

caught the vines uncov- 
BeautifulSampleof Field's Early June Tomatoes j .i 

' ■" ered witti an enormous 

crop of ripe ones and green ones in all stages, just bushels of them. There are more now 

left on the vines than ever set in one season before, 1 think. That last week I was obliged lo go 

every day to market them and could not deliver them fast enough from a buggy. During 

those two months, I was the only person in this part of the country who had a tomato. 

My tomatoes surely did well, and if 135 plants can do this well, an acre would surely 

bring in more than most 160 acre farms do. I hope some day to see just what an acre of 

these Field's Early June tomatoes will do. 

Mrs. F. E. Griggs, Raymond, Nehraslfa. 




THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 53 




A FINE GARDEN IN OKLAHOMA IN SPITE OF DRY WEATHER. 
From Mrs. R. C. Lee, Okmulgee, Oklahoma. 

Well, the dry weather struck us here and my garden was not as good as I wanted it to 
be, but if best everything around here. People came from far and near to get garden truck 
of me. Two were here today and 
got cabbage. I did plan to sell all 
my extra vegetables to pay for 
photographs of my garden, for this 
garden, but four years ago my gar- 
den failed and people were kind 
and gave to me, so I felt I must 
do as I wish to and had been done 
by, so I gave it away. 

My garden was one-half acre. 
I manured it, plowed it, lightly 
manured again, and thoroughly har- 
rowed it. Got me a combination 
garden plow, bought my seed from 
Field Seed Company, because I 
know they will grow and yield, and 
without such seed you need not 
expect a good garden. I had four 
rows of sweet potatoes, raised 4|/2 
bushels, and the biggest one weighed 
6^ lbs. Eight short rows of Hen- 
derson's Bush Lima. Had beans 
through the summer and put away 
12 lbs. for winter. One bush 
had 1 50 pods. Ten rows of onions, 
and I raised about 20 bushels. 
Four rows of string beans. Had 
beans up until frost. Two rows 
of Early June tomatoes. Had 
tomatoes by the water bucket, 
plenty for winter, made green ones 
into chowchow, and some to spare. 
Four rows of cabbage, but they 
did not do so well. Plenty of 
radishes. Had one row of oyster 
plant — doing nicely. 

With my little combined plow, 
I tended my own garden. 

Now last but no means least, and to cap the climax after all of this gardening, on the 
29th of July, 1911, was born to us twins, a boy bYz lbs. and a girl '3 lbs. Oh, if the prize 
had only been offered for babies instead of garden, I would have been all right. 

I am sorry I didn't get any photos, but I had no kodak and don't know any one that 
has, and it would have cost me $5.00 to have a photographer come way out here to take them 
and I could not stand the price. 

Mrs. R. C. Lee, Offtnulgee, Olflahoma. 




Twin Babies. Mrs Lee says that if the Prize had only been 
offered for Babies she would have been a Winner. 



GOOD SEEDS MOST IMPORTANT. 

From J. M. Masters, Bird's Point, Missourl 

I am so. well pleased with gardening that I give it quite a great deal of study. First, 
it is very essential to remember that everything bears fruit after its own kind. A garden 
has to have good seed, and either raise and save some or have some good reliable seedman 
to buy from, and when a gardener can find one of this kind, he should never change an 

old friend for a new. 

J. M. Masters, Bird's Point, Missouri. 



54 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



ALWAYS SCRATCHING IN THE GARDEN. 
From Mrs. T. K. Clark, La Porte City, Iowa. 

The dry season has made gardens almost a failure. My early garden same as usual, 
the seeds came up just fine, but the beans and peas dried up just as they began bearing. 
So after the drouth was broken, I didn't do a thing but go and get my seed box and replant 
again, and I now have prospects for a fine garden. 

I do believe in keeping out the weeds. My husband sometimes calls me an old hen, 
says I am always scratching in the garden. I do not raise garden to sell, but have a plenty 
for our own use and always have some to give to my neighbors. They are sure to say, 
"Oh, such peppers, — cabbage, — Why those lovely peas — Where did you get the seeds?" 
That is why I send the neighbors a mess. 

I will try and send you some potatoes a little later. My Royal Red tomatoes are 
looking fine. 

Mrs. T. K. Clark, La Porle Cil\;, Iowa. 



A CITY GARDEN. 
From J. Griffin, 4134 Labadie Ave., St. Louis, Missouri. 

My lawn is 40x90 feet and the walks is a little to the left of the center of the yard. 
I have no flowers whatever in the yard proper, all are alongside the fence all the way 
around. 

I have nailed on the 
fence 6 flower boxes, 3 
on each side, and my 
ash pit which is near 
the alley is also deco- 
rated with a flower box. 
About two feet from the 
fence all around the 
yard I planted rose 
bushes, various kinds, 
Balsom of all colors. 
Petunias, Portulaca, Al- 
thea, Hibisca and Ge- 
raniums. Clinging to the 
6 laundry posts that are 
against the fence, I ha^e 
a seven sister rose busS 
that climbs and spreads 
most beautifully and in 
June IS a mass of bloom. 
At each end of the shed 
on the lawn I ha- e posts 
driven in the ground and have a flower box set on each of the posts. In each box I have 
a large fern in the center and Petunias on the edge. The Petunias bloom constantly and it 
looks from the house as though the fern is in bloom. 

In arranging the flowers I try to get the best out of the colors and have a continual bloom. 
My yard is the prettiest in this end of town and very easily kept. The green grass in the 
center of the yard not broken by any flowers is a sight to behold. All the seed was bought 
of your firm and most of the shrubs. All of the grass seed came from you. 

J. Griffin, 4134 Labadie Ave., Si. Louis, Missouri. 




A Beautiful Flower Garden m a City Back Yaii 



$102.50 FROM ONE-HALF ACRE OF TOMATOES. 
From Dock Crutchfield, New Tazewell, Tennessee. 

My best crop was Field's Early June tomatoes. I sold my seed March 5th and 
planted in field May 5lh. Picked ripe tomatoes July 1st. Put a tablespoon full of fer- 
tilizer to each hill and worked three times. One-half acre paid me $102.50 clear cash. 
This one-half acre of tomatoes means customers to Henry Field Seed Company from here. 

Dock Crutchfield, Nem Tazewell, Tenn. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 55 



GAVE PLANTS TO HER NEIGHBORS. 




PlougMne in Mrs. Park' 

I had five varieties 
of peas, a ten cent pack- 
age of each, and gath- 
ered from one-half to a 
gallon daily from April 
14th to June 8th. Other 
things were even more 
abundant; we feasted on 
vegetables and supplied 
our neighbors to a great 
extent until the middle of 
June, when the drouth 
ruined everything. And 
we have a bountiful sup- 
ply of dry and canned 
vegetables for winter use, 
while they have none. 
There is no estimating 
the amount of beans 
gathered from four 50 
yard rows of Bush 
Limas, and we have one-half 

Mrs. 



s Garden 



From Mrs. Lola T. Park, Bryan's Mill, 
Texas, R. R. No. I, Box 50. 
Our garden has been our salvation. It is 
one-fourth of an acre. Half of it is planted 
to squashes for hogs. Have no market, but 
feed hogs and chickens and sell them. For 
three years we have had very little rain, but 
we buy seed direct from "The Seed Man,"' 
they germinate quickly and we get a good 
stand. To my neighbors, who bought as 
much seed as I did, but from local dealers, 
I gave seventeen hundred and fifty cabbage 
plants. 




Gathering Beans to can for Mrs. Park 

bushel of shelled beans. 
Lola T. Park, Bryan's Mill, Texas, R. R. No. I, Box 50. 



TAKES LOTS OF HOEING TO MAKE A GOOD GARDEN. 

From Mrs. H. Myer, Lancaster, Kans. 

I live fourteen miles from a photographer, so it will be impossible for me to have 
any pictures taken of my garden, but will tell you what kind of a garden I have. On account 
of having very dry weather here this year, my garden wasn't whet it would have been if 
we could have had rain, although we had a fine garden to what others had in our neighbor- 
hood. 

We have an acre in our garden. We raised this year, radishes, lettuce, beans, peas, 
onions, beets, cabbage, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and watermelons. We had 
a success with everything excepting cucumbers, and it was entirely too dry for them. We 
have had cabbage and tomatoes to use ever since the middle of July, and that is more 
than any of our neighbors can say. 

I have used your seeds for three years and can say that every seed I ever planted of 
yours has grown, and I will not do without your seed as long as I can get it from you. 

My garden was well manured and plowed in the fall. This spring it was harrowed and 
then ready for the seed. I sow my seed in rows across the garden. I find out it takes 
lots of hoeing to have a good garden, which my daughters and myself do without the 
assistance of a man. 

Mrs. H. Myer, Lancaster, Kansas. 



56 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




540 POUNDS OF TOMATOES FROM 20 PLANTS. 

From James C. Shield, Monticello, Ills. , , r ,, in 

My garden is about half an acre. I raised nearly every kind of vegetables. 1 will 

mail under separate cover a drawing of my garden showing how it was planted and how 

much I raised of each kind of vegetable. 

First 1 sowed my 

onions, carrots, par- 
snips, beets, spinach, 
peas, corn salad ; and 
then planted onion 
sets, cabbage, onions, 
beets and kohl rabi 
that had been started 
in hot-beds. 

My best crop was 
tomatoes. I grew four 
varieties on a trellis. 
The following speaks 
for itself: Early 
June was easily first, 
20 plants, 540 lbs. 
New Stone, 20 
plants, 495 lbs. Tall 
Champion, 20 plants, 
433 lbs. Table Queen 
416 lbs. 

My late celery is 

A Beautiful Half Acre Garden which yielded over $500.00 worth of Vegetables. ^\^^ ^ j j ^^„ 

Notice how clean it is. Not a weed in sight. ^ ^^^^^^ ^ I ^ -^^^^^^ 

deep and put about 
four inches of manure 
in the bottom and spaded it under two weeks before planting my celery. Then 1 planted 
a double row celery in the trench, planting alternately. When the plants grew enough to 
require soil around them, I threw the soil in around the plants without getting soil in the 
hearts, which rots the plants. 

Last fall, I cleared every small weed out of the strawberry bed, gave it addressing of 
manure, worked it a little. When the ground was frozen I mulched it with straw. In the 
spring I took the straw off the tops of the plants but left it in between to keep the berries 
clean. Then I took wood ashes and mixed them with bone meal and top dressed the plants 
with this mixture where 1 had taken the straw off and let the rain wash it in. From six 
rows of strawberry plants 200 feet long, planted the previous spring, I picked $100.00 worth 
of fruit. 

Melons were a very good crop but season was short owing to dry weather. The best 
amongst my muskmelons was Field's Daisy. It was early and of excellent flavor. I tried 22 
varieties and found Field's Daisy the best. Its vines resisted disease and stayed green longer 
than any other variety. The fruits were uniform size, and the last melons I picked from the 
field were Daisy. Next best was Milwaukee Market. 

On June 13th I planted 1 '/2 bushels of New Yorker potatoes, covered them with straw, 
and last week dug 21 bushels from 1 '/2 acres. 

The best thing I found to keep butterflies off of late cabbage is asafetida. Use one or 
two cakes in a three gallon can of water, let set to dissolve, then sprinkle the plants. Repeat 
in about ten days or two weeks. 

James C. Shield, Monlkello, Ills. 



KEPT CABBAGE WORMS AWAY WITH SALT. 

From Mary Sauer, New Paltz, N. Y. 

My garden is 28 feet wide and 32 feet long. May 9th I planted beets and radishes 
in the same row. When the radishes were large enough I pulled them out and made room 
for the beets to grow. May 10th, I planted potatoes. I made a deep furrow, planted the 
potatoes about fourteen inches apart and covered the furrow full of dirt. After two weeks 
I raked most of the dirt off so the sprouts would not get too tall. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 57 



May 12th, planted Swiss chard. All of my garden seeds I put down four times their 
thickness. Sweet corn, I put four seeds in a hill. The hills were three feet apart in the 
row. May 13th, 1 planted muskmelons and cucumbers. May i5th, planted popcorn. May 
1 7th, transplanted lettuce. I started the plants in a hot-bed. I set them a foot apart in 
transplanting. May 18th, I transplanted beets, and May 19th, transplanted potatoes that I 
had planted in a box in March. This made early potatoes. 

May 20lh, planted squash in hills. Kept them sprayed for striped bugs and blight. 
When a little squash is on, nip off the end of the vine and the squash will grow much 
larger. May 22nd, planted peanuts. May 22nd, transplanted sweet corn that I had 
started in a cold frame. May 23rd, planted ground almonds, horehound and lavender. 
May 24th, transplanted onions. May 25th, planted lima beans and string beans. May 29lh, 
transplanted tomatoes three feet apart. May 29lh, transplanted peppers, and May 30th, 
transplanted cabbage. When any worms ate at the heads, I put salt in the heads and that 
killed them. 

When the lettuce and beets were pulled out, I planted some more lettuce there. I planted 
it so I could cover it up in case of frost. 1 planted corn on the north and east side so 
it would not throw a shadow on the garden. Next year I am going to raise things for 
the fair. 

Mary Sauer, New Paltz, N. Y. 

AND THE BOYS ARE LEARNING HOW. 

From Mrs. H. Bevington, Galveston, Indiana. 

Our garden was for home use for a family of six, four grown people and two children. 
It is one hundred and thirty feet long and thirty-six feet wide. 

1 he beginning of the season was very dry, but with the help of our two little boys, we 
cultivated often. The dust mulching is a good thing. We kept stirring the ground with 
the garden plow and kept our plants growing. Our garden was beautiful and when late 
rains came, everything was in fine condition. An abundance of vegetables was raised. 

A new plan for sweet potato ridges was used. First, a deep furrow was made, this 
was filled with manure from the hen house. The ridge was made over this, and when 
cultivating we plowed deep between the ridges and pulled the dirt up to the plants with 
a hoe. This made a wide ridge. Our sweet potatoes were fine. 

We sprinkled our cucumber and melon vines with lime. This keeps off the bugs and 
the little black insects that attack them. For the insect on the under side of the leaf, we 
use weak, paris green water. We keep worms from cabbage with cayenne pepper, sprinkling 
it on in the morning. It can be mixed with dust or black pepper. 

Mrs. H. Bevington, Calveslon, Indiana. 

A FINE GARDEN ON A CITY BACK LOT. 

From Wm. Todd, Minneapolis, Minn. 

I have had a good time with my garden this year, although it was only a city back lot. 
From one of your ten cent packages of Early Champion Sweet corn I grew ninety hills, 
three kernels to the hill. I also grew two pumpkin 
vines, 2 hubbard squash, and ten mixed Summer 
squash in between the corn. Then there was my 
tomatoes. I had one dozen Field's Early June 
tomato plants grown fom seed, three Yellow Pear 
tomato plants. I also had a patch of Keckley 
Sweet watermelons, one of Princess watermelon, 
(a fine juicy melon it is, too), and a patch of 
Perfection Muskmelon. Cucumbers and beans oc- 
cupied the rest of the ground. This was all in 
one city lot, something every three feet. 

I worked nights, planting after working down 
town all day until all was planted. I then 
waited a week for the weeds to break through, 

and then went all over the patch to make sure Watermelons and Tomatoes in a City Back Yard 
they were all killed, and so on until the crop started in good shape. I kept the ground 
pulverized around the roots well. 




58 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




Products of a Baok Yard City Garden 



sumer and many thanks to your extra good seed. 

Wm. Todd, Cen. Del. Minneapolis, Minn. 



I was as pleased as I 
could be watching and 
counting the melons and 
tomatoes as they would 
appear. I also had a 
patch of potatoes about 
20x20 feet, out of which 
I took two bushels. I 
think I realized more 
money out of them than 
anything else, as they 
were the highest price. 

In all I got five 
pumpkins, three hubbard 
squash, 55 summer 
squash, ten various mel- 
ons of good size, three 
bushels sweet corn, 1 !/2 
bushels tomatoes, one- 
half bushel Lima Butter 
beans. In all I am very 
well pleased with the 



A CRIPPLE AND HIS GARDEN. 

From John Wm. Padget, Chesterfield, Illinois. 

I have had to carry my water quite a ways and the garden didn't get what it really 
needed, but with the Lord's help I cannot complam. I think I have done fine, as I am 
crippled up with rheumatism, and anyone in my shape ought to be thankful for getting around 
to do a little gardening. 

I haven't a big patch like some, but I manage to get a lot of stuff in and sell at a 
fair price. My garden will, I think, bring in about ten or eleven dollars by the last of 
the fall. Some would not think that much, but I do with about 18x20 feet of ground. 
Every nook and corner goes in, you bet. 

If I was not lame, I would be willing to test any man on earth for a truck patch 100 
feet square, but 18x20 isn't big enough, is it? But a bachelor don't need a big lot. 

J. W. Padget, Chesterfield, Illinois. 



GOOD ADVICE. 

From A. A. Reams, Des Moines, Iowa, Gen. Del. 

All I can write about is of the efforts which I made. My main crop was onions, and 
after doing special work in the preparation of the ground for the seed, on May 15th I 
had as fine a prospect for onions as I ever saw, but lack of water from that time on ruined 
the crop. 

Having failed to a great extent in my garden products I have no results to mention 
and can only add a few general suggestions for garden work: 

First, prepare the seed bed in the best possible manner. Do not slight the work at 
this time in any way. Labor at this time will show good results later in the season. Garden 
seeds are delicate and they cannot grow well only in a well prepared loam. 

Second, plant only good seed. Do not run any risk in having poor seed. Do not buy 
seed because it is cheap. Patronize a responsible seedsman, and when by experience you 
can have perfect confidence in his seeds and his representation of them continue to pat- 
ronize him. 

Third, after a well prepared seed-bed has been planted with good seed, start cultivation 
as soon as the work can be done. Banish all weeds — much of this must be done by hand 
weeding — and after the weeds are destroyed, continue to cultivate. If must be remembered 
that damaging insects will injure as much as weeds and these must be banished, too. 

A. A. Reams, Des Moines, lotva, Cen, Del. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



59 



8 LB. CAULIFLOWER AND 24 LB. CABBAGES. 
From J. F. Heritage, St. Maries, Idaho. 

A story of a garden is hard to write. 
Especially where you have weeds to fight 
Ten hours per day and half the night. 

With some, gardening is for pleasure, but with me it is for both pleasure and profit. 
In some locations, one profits more 
on some vegetables than on others. 
Here in this great lumbering and 
mining district, 1 find it more pro- 
fitable to raise such as potatoes, 
rutabagas, beets, turnips, cabbage, 
carrots and onions. These the 
camps buy by the ton and hundred- 
weight. When I had a large city 
for a market, I raised besides these 
named articles, lettuce, corn, cauli- 
flower, tomatoes, beans, peas and 
all such truck. I find again that 
Rhubarb is one of the most pro- 
fitable articles in the west. 

Greatest in consideration is the 
proper kind of seed. I never found 
it practical or profitable to buy 
seed from Tom, Dick and Harry 
jusl because you can get it cheap. 

Find a reliable man and stay by him, and when you orde& 
seed, you get just what you order. 

From seed purchased from you, I had cauliflower this season 
that weighed 8 lbs. per head, cabbage, Danish Ball Heads, that 
went to 24 lbs. Turnips and Rutabagas that weighed 12 lbs. 
each, and winter radishes that averaged 6 lbs. 

I won quite a few prizes at our County Fair, also at the Spokane 

Inter-State Fair, and always made it a point to say the seed 

came from Henry Field. 

These 4 Heads of Cauli- j p Heritage, 5/. Maries. Idaho. 

Qower Weighed 25 Lbs. •> 




4000 Volga Cabbage 6 Weeks old 





.#»J-»^-' 




A One Third Acre Field of Onions that cleared up $150.00 




60 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



CAULIFLOWER PAID WELL IN SOUTH DAKOTA. 
From Charlotte Everlein, Aurora, South Dakota. 

Will write and tell all about the sowing, planting, cultivation and plans of my garden. 

The garden is south of the house and slopes toward the south, and the west side is bordered 

by an orchard. The garden is eighty feet wide and a hundred feet long. The beds run 

the full length of the garden, and for the herbs and small vegetables, the beds are ten feet 

square with an eighteen-inch path between the beds. 

First, the soil was fertilized in the fall and spring. Then it was harrowed and plowed 

in the spring and harrowed with a small harrow four times and then with a hand rake. 

It was raked until it was perfect and smooth. 

The flowers were sowed and planted m the front of the garden in a park-like way. Then 

the vegetables were sowed and planted as follows: Rutabages were sowed in rows eighteen 

inches apart and thinned out to about six 
inches. The turnips and carrots were sowed 
the same way. The celery, tomatoes, peppers, 
cabbage and cauliflower were sowed in a hot- 
bed in March and transplanted in May. 

The celery was transplanted in a trench. 
First we dug a trench eight inches wide and 
twelve inches deep, then two makes of fer- 
tilizers were put in, then two inches of the 
fine and heavy soil was put in the trench, 
then the celery was planted and watered and 
shaded for two days. Then as the celery 
grew, the soil which was dug out of the 
trench was placed back, and then if the 




Some mighty fine cabbage. 



celery grew higher than the trench, the ground was hilled up. 

Tomatoes were planted in a row three feet both ways, and the cabbage was planted in 
rows two feet both ways, and cauliflower and peppers planted eighteen inches apart. Cucum- 
bers were sowed in hills four feet apart both ways. In May, watermelons and muskmelons 
were sowed in hills six feet apart. 
Onions were sowed in a row eighteen 
inches apart. 

The most important thing this sum- 
mer was watering. The best way to 
raise prize garden crops of vegetables 
IS to have your vegetables early. The 
soil must be very rich and watered, 
and for those who can have fertilized 
juice, it is better than water. The 
ground must be kept free from weeds 
and well hoed. 

The most profitable of vegetables 
is cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions 
and celery. I had one-hundred and 
eighty-five heads of cauliflower, and I 
sold a hundred of them. The head 
measured eight inches in diameter and 
sell from a shilling to fifteen cents 
Charlotte Everlein, Aurora, S. D. 
a head. 




Princess and Kleckley Melons in S. Dak. 



TOMATOES AND SWEET PEPPERS HER SPECIALTY. 

From Mrs. N. D. Tidball, Fayetteville, Ark. 

I never tried so hard with such poor results, for we had no rain from early in April 
till July 15th. 

My garden is intended mainly for family use, but if there is a surplus we sell it in 
our ' hit or miss," "take what you can get" market. Last year I sold $42.00 worth and 
had planned to do much better this year, but the drouth queered my plans. As I have a 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



61 



large family (never less than ten at the table), I must have a large garden, a little more 
taan an acre, 300x150 feet. 

As soon as a child is large enough to find a bug or drop a plant, 1 try to get them 
interested in "our garden." We use a wheel hoe, and it is just fun for the little fellows 
lo run it. I have two hot-beds, one 6x6 for starting plants, another twice this size for 
tansplanting for larger growth. In March 1 make a main planting of onions, radishes, 
lettuce, mustard, spring turnips, peas, carrots, pa-snips, salsify and beets; and plant in a 
hot-bed Early June tomatoes, peppers and egg plant, as it is not safe lo set these out till 
the middle of May. My tomato plants are usually beginning lo bloom waen transplanted. 
I prefer a cold frame for cabbage, as the plants are more hardy and sland transplanting 
better. To protect cabbage plants from cut worms which are so destructive in the cool 
spring weather, wrap the stem of each plant in paper before setting out. Treat early tomato 
plants the same way. 

As soon as spring is really here, I plant beans, butter beans, cucumbers, squash and 
other tender vegetables. From this time on there is not a week that something is not 
planted for succession. About the middle of June the early potatoes are dug and the 
ground on which they grew planted to popcorn, bush limas and tomato plants for late crop. 
1 plant all vegetables that mature together in a group, so that the ground may be cleared 
and planted to something else. 

I kept my vegetables alive during the long drouth — barely alive — by frequent stirring of 
the soil. My plan for having late cabbage is to plant All Head Early, setting strong plants 
lale on the richest soil, cultivate them often and do everything I can to make them grow 
faster than the worms can eat. 

I have two specialties, tomatoes and sweet peppers. By planting Early June tomato 
for first crop and starting in hot-bed and planting Stone, Shenandoah and Golden Beauty 
for main crop, we have fresh tomatoes on the table all summer, beginning the middle of 
June. Sweet Peppers I raise for market mainly. They are so easy to raise and handle 
and yield more for the trouble than anything else. I plant the Chinese Giant. 

One's own experience and common sense are the best garden helps. Study the soil and 
climate in which you live and plant such things as are best adapted to them. 

Mrs. N. D. Tidball, F ayelleville. Ark- 



A GOOD GARDEN IN MISSOURI. 

From W. A. West, Livonia, Missouri. 

My garden is in two parts, one on the east and one on the west of my dwelling. The 
one on the west consists of a patch 6x10 rods. Three years ago it was a piece of sod, and 
I hauled stable manure and gave it a good coat. This, I turned under very deep and let 
it lay till spring. Then I gave it a coat of well rotted manure and stirred it thoroughly with 
a double shovel and then harrowed it. I have given it a coat of manure each year since. 

This season, I planted • 

onion, lettuce and radish . | 

seed, also beets and peas " 

about the middle of April, 

and about the fifth of May 

I planted late cabbage seed, 

and also transplanted early 

cabbage and tomatoes. 

Now, to make a long 
story short, I have kept this 
garden thoroughly cultivated 
and clear of weeds. I also, 
during the long dry spell, 
hauled water and irrigated 
it every other day. The 
result is 1 have raised an 
abundance of all the above named vegetables. 

In the accompanying photograph you can see some of my Princess watermelons, Cornbell 
Cabbage, Missouri Wonder Pole Beans, and Early June tomatoes with myself standing in 
the cabbage patch. 

The plot east of the house, I planted in potatoes, sweet corn, beans, butter beans and 




Cabbage, Tomatoes and Princess Watermelons 



62 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



watermelons. This piece of ground is an old garden spot and feed lot consisting of one 
acre. This ground is very rich, but it was too dry this season for the best results. 

The watermelons on this ground, I planted the tenth of May. I first broke the ground 
and harrowed it thoroughly. Then planted about 1 5 to 20 seeds in a hill, and when they 
came up I hoed them and plowed them one time, then hoed them again and thinned to three 
or four in a hill. This is ail the cultivation I gave them, but I raised a fine lot of melons. 

It was too dry for potatoes, although I raised about a half crop. I get the best results 
by only cultivating potatoes once, then keeping them clear of weeds. 

My motto in gardening is: 'Use the very best of seed." I always send to some reputed 
seed house, if I haven't got the very finest specimens of my own to save from. 

W. A. West, Livonia, Missouri. 



» 







DOUBLE CROPS HIS LAND. 

From A. S. Christenson, Dodge Center, Minnesota. 

Our garden is for the family only so I cannot tell about the value except that it is more 

than half of our living; and to have vegetables fresh from the garden is one of the good 

things of this life that I would not do without for quite a sum. 

The early peas, spinach, 

turnips, and early corn all 
come off the land before 
the squash need the room, 
and so throughout the whole 
garden. I sow early rad- 
ishes very thinly in the rows 
of peas and get a crop be- 
fore the peas get large 
enough to interfere with 
their growth, and later the 
peas come off and the 
ground is used by the 
squash, making three crops 
in one year from the same 
land. Different plantings 
of lettuce, radishes, and 
spinach are made between 
the later vegetables so as to 

have them throughout their seasons. Within four inches of my early beets I planted a row 

of climbing snap beans, and now we are having plenty of these beans, and have gotten a crop 

of beets from the same row, and I cannot see but what the beets were just as good as they 

were planted without the beans growing at their side. 

I am' enclosing a postal of a field of onions of which I have 6 acres; note the luxuriant 

growth of tops. 

I keep the ground free from weeds all season. I try to cultivate after every rain, and if 

it is a dry time as we had last, and this season, I cultivate about once a week anyway. 

I never plant cabbage more than one year on the same land, and the same with potatoes, 

but onions I like to grow on the same land several years in succession for it improves if well kept. 
One of the most important things in a good garden is the getting of good seed. Your 

seeds were good enough for the most critical, and merit a larger order from me next season. 

A. S. Christenson, Dodge Center, Minnesota. 




6 Acres of Onions that made $450.00 per Acre 



A KANSAS GIRL AND HER GARDEN. 

From Miss Glenna M. Jordan, Peabody, Kansas. 

I am the only one that raised any garden this year, and my friends said I raised the 
finest garden in Marion County, Kansas. All my friends' gardens burned up. I am very 
proud of my garden this year; tended it all by myself. You can see I am the busiest 
one in Kansas, and am busy all the time, have plenty to do. I lake care of 300 little 
chickens beside the garden and lake oare of my hog. 

We didn't have any rain in June, and it looked like my garden would all burn up, but 
I and William carried water to the garden all during that hot spell. It was 1 12 degrees 
in the shade. We carried water right along to the garden till we got rain. 

Miss Glenna M. Jordan, Peabod)), Kansas. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



63 




A Garden of less than fifty square rods that yielded 
$263.65 or at therate of about $850.00 per acre. 



$150.10 FROM 281/2 SQUARE RODS. 
From Roy Steward, Horton, Kansas. 

We started hauling to market April 18fh, and have not missed having goods to supply our 
three trips a week run all through this dry season. The early bunch beets were just fine. 
We had the Detroit Dark Red, and 
they came nearer being drought re- 
sistent than anything else we had. 
Our early beans made fine bushes 
and bloomed a great deal, but it 
was too dry for them to set, so 
they were a failure. 

The early cabbage, we had a 

tine prospect, but it only made one- 
half pound to two pounds to the 

head. They sold here at 4c per 

lb. at wholesale which helped out 

some. I bought some of 3'our 

Surehead late cabbage seed and 

followed the plans laid out in the 

catalog. Just dropped the seed in hills and then thinned to a stand. They had an awful 

summer, but those little plants went through it all and never even wilted. We just kept the 

weeds out and cultivated to keep 

the ground moist and when we got 
the late rains they started. We are 
cutting them now, and there are 
just lots of them that weigh from 
five to eight pounds per head, at 
3c per lb. looks good to me. People 
around here that transplanted their 
cabbage don't have much. 1 will 
send you a snap shot of this cab- 
bage patch. We have never wat- 
ered or sprinkled anything, we de- 
pended entirely on thorough cul- 
tivation. 

In all our gardening we never 
had such tomatoes. We have a plot 
of 28'/2 square rods. On this, we 
grew radishes and lettuce in the 
spring. Then we manured and 

plowed deep and set the tomatoes. They grew well through all the dry weather until the 

late rains arrived, and then they set on fruit in a way that paid us well for all the trouble 

we had. The radishes sold for 

$42.05 and the lettuce $22.80. We 

have sold $95.25 from this small 

field of tomatoes, which makes this 

piece of land 28|/2 square rods 

yield $150.10 in a year like 1911. 

and that without even a sprinkler. 

There is still a lot of green to- 
matoes to be marketed from this 

plot and we have something over 

a thousand nice ones wrapped in 

paper and crated for late market, 

say Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

We used out of the plot for home 

use also. 

The total area of the garden 

is 49% square rods. The total 

receipts up to dale are $263.55. 

This is at the rate of $847.52 per Surehead Cabbage in a Dry Season in Kansas 




A Vine of Early June Tomato lifted to show the Fruit. Did 
you ever see its equal? 




64 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 





A good garden. Notice the straight rows. 



acre with the season against our work. I am practically a boy, yet I have had six years 
experience in gardening and I love the work. Every year I learn many new things. The 
work is done entirely by myself and wife and our three year old girl, whom we think is one 
of the main spokes in this wheel. 

Roy Steward, Horlon, Kansas. 

BEST GARDEN HE EVER HAD. 

Frank I. Yerger, Sigourney, Iowa. 

My garden was the best I ever had. I had never planted your seeds before, but will again. 

I do not plant for the market but for home use and the pleasure to be got out of it. 

My garden is about 
110 feet square. I plant 
all my stuff in rows by 
a chalk line so as to get 
them straight. I tend, 
for the most part, with 
a wheel hoe. I plant 
all the extra early stuff 
together, so after it is 
gone I can use the 
ground again. 

For main crop, I 
plant the sorts I know 
will do well in my sec- 
tion, and test the new 
sorts in a small way. 
Frequent cultivation is ■ 
most important thing. 

You can go over it three times quicker and better before the weeds get a start than you can 

once after they do. 

Frank I. Yerger, Sigourney, lojva. 

BUSHEL OF CUCUMBERS A WEEK ALL SUMMER FROM TWO PACKETS 

From Henry Lot, Floyd Knobs, Ind. 

From two packets of cucumber seed bought of you, the Goliath and Emerald, I mar- 
keted one bushel of cucumbers per week since the first of July. They are fine bearers. 
These varieties of cucumbers sold for 5 cents apiece. 

The summer was one of the driest that I can recollect, but my corn and fall crops look 
fine. All the early grain was ruined. Wheat, rye and oats were very short. The best 
thing in dry weather is good frequent cultivation. 

I find berries the most profitable crop for this part of the country. Of course other 
places it may not be. 

Henry Lot, Floyd Knobs, Ind. 

SOUTH DAKOTA WAS HIT HARD BY DROUTH. 
From Joseph Pfoff, Glenham, South Dakota. 

I plant most of my garden in drills except the cabbage. I plant that so I can plow it 
both ways, and the tomatoes I plant diamond shape. I planted 2,500 and that was my 
money maker. I also planted one acre of carrots and have not a one, and one acre of beets 
dnd have about a dozen. I will ]ust have a few melons off of one acre. I planted them in 
jrills, and when out of danger, I thinned them out. Planted an acre of muskmelons and 
cucumbers and got a few. Planted two acres of pumpkins and squashes, and will not get a 
one. Will get a few beans off of an acre. The seeds were all good, but the dry weather 
was to blame. Planted about 2,000 cabbages and will probably get two. The seed was 
good and all came up, but just as quick as they would get about one inch high, they would dry up. 

I have worked hard this summer and haven't got anything to show for my work, and I 
don't see what people will get seed with next spring. Crops were a total failure out here. 
I bought a lot of seed from the stores when it got late but it did me no good. I will have 
all new seeds next spring. You have no idea what it is to be in a shape as we are. Nothing 
at all, no feed, no wheat, no hay. 

Joseph Pfoff, Clenham, Soulh Daf^oia. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 65 



50 WATERMELONS FROM ONE PACKET OF SEED. 

From Karl E. Sheldon, 

Mazeppa, Minnesota. 

My garden consisted of one-half acre of 
ground which was very rich. I plowed it 
in July, 1910, and then worked it every 
week until last November. This spring I 
plowed and harrowed the ground three times 
before planting. Sowed about one-sixth of 
an acre (one-third of the garden) to onion 
seed, using Field's Red Globe Weathersfield 
seed. The onions started to come up and 
the cut worms took almost every one, so I 
plowed them under and sowed it again to the 
same seed. 




Mi£S Wanda Sheldon feeding her rag doll ' 'Mammy' ' 
some of Field's Princess Melon 




Comer of a Patch of Field's Princess Melons in Minnesota. 
Over 60 Melons from 6 Hills 



loaded with peppers. Sowed two rows of 
carrots from one package of seed and have 
all of 2'/2 bushels. 

The Princess watermelon is the best melon 
I ever saw. From one package of seed I 
raised over fifty fine melons. You could al- 
most see them grow and they are so sweet 
when ripe. I sold twenty head of cabbage 
for 3c per lb., and received $3.00 for them. 

1 enclose a few kodak views. 1 am a 
beginner with the camera and they aren't very 
good, but 1 hope to see them in that book. 



Karl E. Sheldon, 
Mazeppa, Minnesota. 



Harvested 40 bushels of fine 
onions, sold some for $1.00 per 
bushel. Planted the cabbage seed 
in hills the distance I wanted them 
to grow, about two feet each way, 
and thinned out to about one plant 
in each hill. The heads grew so 
fast that about fifty of them 
cracked open, but I find that if a 
person will pull the roots loose, 
that is lift the cabbage a little, 
it won't grow so fast and so it 
won't crack open. 

I had 35c worth of pepper 
seed and sold ten dozen of the 
Ruby King peppers, green, for 
20c per doz. Pulled the pepper 
plants last week and hung them 
in the cellar. They are just 




«r. 






Products of a MiDEerota Garden. Corn Belt 

Cabbaee, weight 10 lbs.. Mammoth Russian 

Sunflower, Ruby Kins; and Civenne Peppers, 

Early June Tomatoes and Kohl Rabi 



$30.00 FROM ONE-EIGHTH ACRE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 
From J. E. Parker, Parker, North Carolina. 

The first consideration for a successful garden is fertility of the soil. Therefore if is 
necessary that a fertilizer be used. I find that well rotted stable manure (also chicken 
manure if available) to be the best fertilizer if it is turned under deeply. 



66 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



I use approximately one-eighth of an acre for a garden, and can only give an estimate 
of the value of the products, as all was or will, be used for family purposes, but a fair 
estimate of the value of all products raised wof.ld be at least $30.00. 

J. E. Parker, Parser, North Carolina. 



RIPE TOMATOES 
JULY 4TH. 

From S. M. Newlon, 
Salem, West Virginia. 

The drouth was so 
against us that we practi- 
cally failed with a great 
many of our vegetables. 
Never the less, the Early 
June tomato, that I call the 
Preacher's tomato, gave us 
nice ripe fruit the fourth of 
July, and two of the vines 
are still ripening tomatoes 
yet, October 30th. They 
are all right and by the 
far the earliest tomato I 
have ever grown. We also 
grew fifty pounds of the 
Shenandoah that was on a 
frame. We are sending 
photos of the vines, also 
photos of some of the fruit 
off of the same vine. Nine- 
teen of them weighed 34 lbs. 




19 Tomatoes weighing 34 lbs. at a single picking from one vine 
grown on a tiellis 



We find it best to put at least 
half of our tomato vines in a frame 
two feet square with slats nailed to 
four small stakes. We sell early 
tomatoes at high prices and can 
the later ones with a Modern Can- 
ner. We put up one thousand, 
three pound cans of tomatoes and 
sold $85.00 worth of early tomatoes 
from one thousand plants. We call 
this a half crop on account of dry 
weather. 

S. M. Newlon, 
Salem, W. Va. 



CONTINUOUS CROPPING 

AND CULTIVATION. 

A Tomato Vine on a Trellis. It Yielded in all over 50 lbs. 
From Miss Eva M. Carter, 

Tonganoxie, Kansas. 
My garden is only 16x33 feet. It has an airy, sunny location with the overhanging 
boughs of a fruit tree close outside the fence giving the needed shade for the lettuce beds 




THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 67 



The soil is a rich black loam. Had the weather continued seasonable, 1 think my garden 
would have been a decided success. 

In plantmg, early mustard was replaced by Fields Daisy muskmelon, earliest lettuce, and 
onions by cucumbers and Field's Early June tomatoes. Continuous cropping and cultivation 
keeps weeds in subjection and conserves moisture 

Miss Eva M. Carter, Tonganoxie, Kansas. 



A DAKOTA GARDEN. 

From Mrs. J. R. McMahon, Stamford, South Dakota. 

We are in the new 
part of Dakota on our 
claim so of course our 
garden will not compare 
with those raised in older 
states. I have a garden 
plow and use the weeder 
that keeps the ground 
mellow and destroys the 
weeds at the same time. 

1 like to start every- 
thing that has to be 
transplanted either in the 
house or hot-bed so to 
have them ready to set in 
the ground just as soon 
as danger of frost is past. 
I have about one acre 
fenced with woven wire 
for garden and fruit. 



L. 







Vegetables Grown First Year from Sod in S. Dak. 




A Home iB the New Country cf S. Dak. 



The peas and tomatoes yielded 
the best this year. No rain on my 
garden from the first of May until 
the 6th of August, but for all that 
we had plenty of peas, radishes and 
lettuce. Other vegetables were not 
so plenty. Tomatoes were late but 
we had bushels of them. As for 
melons, this is surely their home. 
A good yield and of extra fine 
flavor. 

Mrs. J. R. McMahon, 

Stamford, S. D. 



FIVE BUSHELS OF TOMATOES FROM 50 HILLS. 
From Henry Cole, Hart, Michigan. 

I planted watermelons, muskmelons, tomatoes, cabbage, peanuts, popcorn and radishes. 
Planted two varieties of watermelons, Halbert Honey and Princess, and also planted the 
Hackensack muskmelon. I planted about eight hills of the Princess and about five came 
up, and two of them washed out. 1 had three hills and about a dozen good size watermelons. 
I did not sell any of them but sold some of the Halbert Honey melons. 1 had about 
eighteen hills of them and sold twenty melons at ten cents each. The Princess watermelon 
is one of the best watermelons that 1 have ever tasted. 

I had about fifty hills of tomatoes, and sold five bushel at 50c a bushel, and the rest of 
them I gave to my mother. I planted my seed in a box first, and when they got about four 
or five inches high, I dug them out of the box and set them out about three feet apart. I 
planted my cabbage in a row in the garden and when they got about three inches high, I 
thinned them out to about a good foot and a half apart. 1 had about a hundred head and sold 
about fifty head for $1.50. I had some heads that were over twenty inches across. 

I planted about a dozen rows of popcorn about four rods long and got six bushels. I sold 



68 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



five bushel at 50c a bushel. I planted a row of radishes about four rods long. I took a 
few bunches to town and got 50c for them. I had as high as a hundred peanuts on a hill. 
I pulled thern and piled them loose in the field. I left them lay too long for some of them 
turned black. It rained every day so they couldn't gel dry, and finally the sun came out 
hot and I think that is what made them turn black. 

I have got a few potatoes, about twenty-five bushel, I guess. I haven't sold them yet so 
don't know how much I will get out of them. I made $9.00 off from my garden besides 
my potatoes. I would like to send some pictures of my garden but it would cost quite a lot. 
The nearest place where there is a camera is ten miles. 

Henry Cole, Hart, Michigan. 

RAISES MOSTLY PEAS, TOMATOES AND SWEET CORN. 

From E. G. Knapp, Oswego, New York. 

I am sending you a photograph of my Giant Sugar Beets. Now those beets, I had to 

plant three liir.es before I got l!iem to grow, but I got 1 5'6 bushels on one-fourth acre. My 

little boy was so well pleased with them thai 
I had to get a pictu e of him and the beets 
taken. I put them 2'/2 feet apart each. I 
planted them in hills same as corn. Never 
leave any more than four in a hill. Three 
is better. It lakes a litlle longer to plant 
I'lem that way, but you make up that when 
)'ou go to hoe and weed them. 

What I raise is mostly peas, tomatoes and 
sweet corn. Now, the best paymg crop for 
me was peas. As bad as the summer was, 
I trade from that perk of peas I got f om you 
$18.00. Those Early June tomatoes I got 





Giant Feeding Sugar Beets. 156 bu. on 1-4 Acre. 

from you paid well. At the start I got as 
high as $6.00 per bushel. 

I plant my peas 21,4 feet apart in drills. 
1 cultivate them well and hoe tliem once. 
Sometimes I sow corn for fodder on the 
same ground as soon as the peas are done. 

I have about two acres of garden. I make 
about $300.00, but you have got to be moving 

light along. You have got to get up at four ^^^^^^^ June Tomatoe. on Cne Vine. 

o clock m the rorenoon. 

E. G. Knapp, Oswego, New Yor}(, R. R. No. 6. 

A SCHEME FOR DOUBLE PLANTING. 

From O. Burton, (Address Lost). 

In planting peas you can always plant parsnips or carrots in the same row, as parsnips 
are slow to germinate. They will be but well started when the peas are ripe. Pull up the 
peas and you have saved a lot of ha d weeding and will do better than if planted alone. 
In planting beans, I plant beets m sair.e row wi'h the same results as in planting parsnips 
with early peas. O. Burton, (Address Lost). 



TI-IE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



69 



$152.58 FROM A QUARTER OF AN ACRE. 
From J. Wesley Griffin, Warsaw, Ky. 

I live in llie suburbs of the lillle town of Warsaw, Ky., wiT.i a population of about 




^f^lf^' ■' 




^^■ 




A Quarter-acre Garden well Care>llor 
1,000 inhabitants. My garden was on a vacant lot. 




Golden Hubbard Squash grown on a Vacant Lot 
to the street, and my field grown plants, 
such as cabbage, tomatoes, peppers 
and celery, were in rows where any 
one passing could see them. I did 
not have to do any advertising 
through the press to get customers, 
everybody that saw the garden told 
everybody they met about Griffin s 
Garden. It was the talk of (he 
town. Nothing out of the way, 
but out of the ordinary around 
Warsaw. 

In regard to the way I culti- 
vated my garden, I aimed to keep 
the soil loose and mellow at all 
times. This I did with a sharp 
toothed garden rake. After each 
plowing with the wheel garden 



G:ovs n in a vacant lui gaiutn 

60x180 feet, a little less than a quarter 
of an acre. The south side was 
so shaded that at least ten feet 
wide, the entire length of the lot, 
was practically worthless as a gar- 
den. I am a carpenter and fol- 
low carpentering as a vocation. 
The greater part of the work done 
in this garden was after and be- 
fore working hours. My object 
was to devote two hours every day 
in producing this garden. 

I generally raise a few sweet 
potato plants each season, but never 
sufficient to fill all orders. The 
plant part of the business is a very 
profitable one. Especially where 
one is located so that he can make 
a good display with the growing 
plants. I rr.ads my hot-beds next 




Staking up Tomatoes 



70 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




plow I would walk backward and rake the soil level all around theplants and in the mid- 
dles between the rows. By having the rows perfectly straight, and having them at regular 
distances from each other, it was just fun to work in the garden. 1 mulched the tomatoes 
with the manure used in the hot-beds for starting the early plants. 

Taking it in all, with careful cultivation and (?lose attention to details, I have done 
very well. 

Here is what 1 made from the garden: 

Garden plants sold $ 68.33 

Vegetables 41 .50 

Tobacco plants 9.50 

Veg. on hand Oct. I st, estimated 33.25 

Total from the one-fourth acre $1 52.58 

J. Wesley Griffin, Warsaw, Xj>. 




'•uSra&V:-^* 



Work that pays 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 71 




Most more cabbage than boy 



$97.00 WORTH FROM A GARDEN 100x63 FEET. 

From M. A. Reinhart, Montague, Michigan. 

My garden spot is 100x63 feet. I sold in all $41.00 worth, and consumed ourselves 

or gave away in all about $16.00 worth. I have still unharvested the following: Cabbage, 

80 heads. Cauliflower 30, Carrots 

30 feet. Parsnips 30 feet. Parsley 

30 feet. Beets 30 feet, Cale 50 

plants. Savoy 20 plants, Turnips 90 

feet. Beans 60 feet. Leek 100 

30 feet. And plenty of tomatoes 
, plants. Salsify 60 feet, Swiss Chard 

in all stages. Value of all this 

easily $40.00. 

My garden was divided by a 

path three feet wide from house to 

Sarn, making all my rows 30 feet 

long. On one side of the path I 

planted with the following plants: 

cabbage 110, cauliflower 50, pep- 
pers 16, kale 50, savoy 20, tomatoes, 

red, 110, pear 40, lettuce 300, egg plants 18, summer squash 8, 3 rows carrots, I row 

parsnips, 1 onions, I parsley and Dill, 2 salsify, 3 Swiss Chard, 9 beans, 1 Lima, 20 peas, 

10 sweet corn, 5 beets, I sage, 3 turnips. In hills, watermelons 5 hills, vine peach 10, 

cucumbers 12, 6 rows of radish and 100 plants of leek, 4 rows of rutabaga. Flowers along 

the road side, 1 00 feet four o'clocks, one bed of cannas, 100 gladiolus. One side was edged 

with wall flower, petunia, 10 weeks stock nicotina, sunflowers and poppy scattered through 

the garden. I raised many other flowers but not in this garden lot. 

This is how it was done: My plants are planted three feet apart. Between the rows 

I planted cabbage, yellow tomatoes, and also cauliflower. Early Sugar corn was also 

planted three feet in drills, 
between these lettuce, sum- 
mer squash, vine peach, cu- 
cumber. Early beets and 
carrots were followed by 
late cabbage, peas and 
beans. This, I replanted 
every row that 'had been 
harvested, in fact, I never 
waited except where I fol- 
lowed with beans and peas 
till the whole row was bare, 
but as soon as a foot or 
two of ground was empty 
1 turned it over, mixed in 
some well rotted manure and 
put in some plants. Thus at 
the time of writing, my 
whole garden is still pro- 
ducing. We are having 
beans, peas* radishes and 
lettuce as a second crop. 

Corn 25 doz. 

Wax Beans 60 lbs. 

Onions 1/2 bu. 

Radishes 112 bunches 

Beets 20 bunches 

Carrots 35 bunches 




ticic we are, proud of our garden 

Here is what I have harvested: 

Peas 7 bu. 

Lettuce 50 lbs. 

Tomatoes, red 700 lbs. 

Tomatoes, yellow 2 bu. 

Cucumbers I bu. 

Egg Plants 2 bu. 



The other things 1 have no record of, or they are still in the field. I did well with 
all of these things, being the earliest in the market. My tomato crop was sold before my 
neighbors had any ripe ones at all, and they paid me best, $28.34. 

M. A. Reinhart, Montague, Mich. 



72 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



BEANS PAY BEST. 

From Mrs. D. B. Whisler, Creighton, Mo. 

I am trying lo write you a true story about the success we have had in raising garden. 

1 think we have more profit off of beans, both field beans and bush beans, potatoes, tomatoes, 

cabbage, turnips, and onions than most 
anything else in the garden seed line. 

Now these seeds which I've men- 
tioned above, we scarcely ever have a 
failure in, especially when we have 
Field's seed. 

The way to grow the best garden 
is, I think, lo select a good, rich patch, 
then plow it good and deep in the 
fall and again at planting time. Then 
with a good garden plow and drill put 
in your seeds, and as soon as the little 
plants are large enough to sow right 
good, we always begin to stir the 
ground to keep it loose and also keep 
the little weeds from getting the start 
of the plants. We always plant as 
much as an acre, from that to two 
acres in garden potatoes and sweet 
corn. We have good luck with sweet 
corn, also. 

Mrs. D. B. Whisler, Creighton, Mo. 




A town lot corn patch 



WON A PRIZE ON FLOWERS. 

From Etta Gamble, Hume, Missourl 

The melons and cucumbers did fairly well. Raised lots of summer onion sets, and the 




Fine garden of J . Wesley Griffin , Warsaw, Ky. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



73 



early garden, such as radishes, leffuce and onions, did well. Had plenty of tomatoes for 
my own use, but had none to sell. My flowers did very well. 1 got the blue ribbon at 
the stock show on my bouquet of all kinds of garden flowers. 

Etta Gamble, Hume, Missouri. 



AN INVALID AND HER GARDEN. 
From Mrs. T. J. Gates, Gentry, Ark. 

My garden is four rods square. I leave a two foot bed around the fence, and have 
a walk in this bed 1 plant to lettuce, mustard, kale, spinach, beets, rhubarb, and next to 
the edge of the walk I plant 
a row of radishes, and later 
I plant a row of peppers 
next to the fence. 

First, 1 plant 5 rows of 
onions, 1 of beets, 5 of cab- 
bage, 2 of bunch beans, 1 
of Princess watermelons, 
one-half of muskmelons. I 
plant zig zag, some large 
sunflowers to help shade 
melons to keep them from 
sunburning; 12 rows of to- 
matoes, 6 of Early June 
and six of another variety. 
There was also 2 rows of 
sweet corn, 1 of pole beans 
on side of the fence, and 
one-half row of cucumbers 
and turnips. 

I had splendid success with growing crops from your seeds. I failed to tell you how 
I started my tomato plants. I put them in boxes the fourteenth of February in my house 
among my flowers. When they were four inches high I transplanted them in another box 
until all danger of frost was past. About the first of May 1 planted them in my garden. 

I am an invalid and my husband is not a stout man, consequently I try to help him 
to lay up for a rainy day. From three dozen chickens, we have sold over $100.00 worth. 
We have a very poor market for anything we have to sell. 

Mrs. T. J. Gates, Genfrp, Arlf. 




Jersey Cow and White Rock Chickens. They go well with gardening 



SWEETEST MELONS HE EVER HAD. 
From B. F. Beck. Mechanicsburg, Pa. 




Watermelons bigger than the girl 



I planted my melons on 
May 6th and cut the first melon 
the last of July. In planting, 
I made a trench about three inches 
deep and filled it with chicken 
manure, and made a row like a 
sweet potato row, and when the 
vines were about four feet long, 
I worked in a small hand full of 
nitrate of soda at each plant. 
Parties that I treated to melon 
said they never tasted better ones. 
They are the sweetest melon I 
ever tasted. The larger melons 
were much better than the small 
ones, being darker red and sweeter. 
B. F. Beck, 
Mechanicsburg, Pa. 



74 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




Well utilized ground 



TOOK PRIZES AT THE FAIR. 

From W. A. Calhoun, East Las Vegas, New Mexico. 

I raised Hubbard squashes, Big Tom pumpkins. Ford Hook watermelons and several other 
kinds. I had about one-fourth acre of squashes and melons. I plowed the ground last fall, 

as deep as I could plow 

o^.wvaemmit- -^ ''• ^°^^ rounds to the 

•^:/^T2r^.'.-tii^^^''-' ^ land, and then I filled 

the open furrows with 
stable manure. The tenth 
of May 1 dug out the 
manure where I wanted 
the hill and planted five 
or six seeds to the hill 
about ten feet apart, 
tended them with a cul- 
ti ator, and they yielded 
pretty well. We had no 
rain in August and Sep- 
tember, or I would have 
had a larger yield. 

I had in about a half 
acre of beets. They 
done pretty well, some 
will weigh six lbs. I had 
fourteen rows of Fill- 
basket peas ten rods long. We had all we could use and gave a good many to the neighbors, 
and sold upwards of $20.00 worth. 1 listed the ground last fall and planted the peas from 
the 25th of March to the middle of April in the lister furrows and cultivated them with a 
cultivator and hoe. Planted the beets about two feet apart and tended them with a culti- 
vator and hoe. 

We had a little fair at Las Vegas, and I took first on the following best display of vege- 




Missou.i Corn, Squashes and Tomatoes 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



75 



tables: Slock beets, hog millet, pumpkins, squashes, oyster plant, sugar beets, and look second 
on cantaloupes. I had to compete with mountain and irrigation to a great extent, so you can 
see that I had to have something to show. 

W. F. Calhoun, East Las Vegas, Neji) Mexico. 



PLENTY OF PROFIT IN GARDENING. 

From Quincy Myers, Eddyville, Iowa. 

I put 150 tomato plants out May 24th, and I sold from this 150 plants $128.00 worth 
of tomatoes, some at 10c a lb., 
some at 8c and so on. Part of 
them were Field's Early June, 
Earliana, and Sparks. I will rec- 
ommend Field's Early June. Cab- 
bage was poor. I sold from one- 
half acre $54.74, watermelon, 
Kleckley Sweet, one acre, $69.60; 
muskmelons, $190.03; sweet pota- 
toes one acre, sold most of them 
at 3c per lb., $149.24; cucumbers, 
one-half acre, $41.19; Irish pota- 
toes, one-half acre, $29.30. Plants 
of all kinds, $1 15.20. A few green 
onions from four bushels of sets, 
$24.05 ; radishes from about the 
same amount of ground as onions, $18.10. Rhubarb, lettuce, turnips, egg plant, beans and 
so on amounted to $67.35. I have about 7J/2 acres all told which I farm. This is as near 
correct as I can get it. 

Quincy Myers, Eddyville, loiva. 




Lettuce, heads of which weighed 2% lbs. each 




A prize exhibit 



76 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 




A fine Iowa garden. Everything in long straight rows, wide enough to le cultivated 

with a horse cultivator 

"A PRETTY FAIR STAGGER AT A GARDEN." 

From Mrs. James Patterson, Burnt Ranch, Calif. 

I think I have had a pretty good sort of a garden — considering. If I am to be judged 
along with professionals and others who have hired help and finely cultivated ground and 
all sorts of tools, I am sure that I stand no chance for your consideration, but if you judge 
me from a feminine viewpoint, (I am a voter now, you know), on what I really accom- 
plished against heavy odds, I believe you will say with my old neighbor, "That it was a 
pretty fair stagger at a garden." 

I am a city-bred woman and this is my first garden — thanks to you, Mr. Field. This 
is a homestead in the Trinity National Forest which we have just taken up. It is in the 
northern part of California where we have early frosts, much snow and a short summer, 
and we have only trails to travel on. 1 started my garden on a rocky hillside having a 
southern exposure. I brought water to the spot in a little ditch. We have no summer rains. 
I hired a decrepit Chinaman and a little boy to take off the top layer of rocks, and I 
did the rest. I worked with the pick, the shovel, the mattock and the hoe. I planted, sowed, 
cultivated, irrigated and harvested this garden by myself upon soil which had never before 
been upturned by the hand of man. 

My garden spot was 32x48 ft., with young peach trees set out at 16 ft. intervals and 
several large madrono stumps in between and numerous small ones. The only fertilizer I 
had at hand was wood ashes from my cook stove, and I got a few bushels of borrowed 
manure in my tiny seed bed, but I worked early and late with the little water at my dis- 




Kocky Ford Canteloupes 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 77 



posal, and took advice from every brain that came my way whether in print or on foot. 
1 got some chicken wire and made a weak, feminine fence around my garden, and of 
course hogs broke in, it was such a temptation, and ate all my cabbage and string beans 
dnd other stuff just when it all was beginning to grow, but they grew up again and finally 
gave me my reward. 

Of course I crowded things in my garden. I never knew a number four shoe was 
so big until I tried to walk in between my rows, but my experience tells me that it is rather 
good to crowd things on new unfertilized ground where you have little water. The plants 
shade the ground and prevent evaporation. Also rocks are not half bad. When laid 
around a plant they will keep moisture in the ground. Did you ever try it? 

Now, Mr. Field, you will want to know about my vegetables. Kentucky Wonder Beans, 



f'^'CS '^ ."Sa 




Irrigating Onions and Lettuce 



grown on the fence, fine and prolific. Lettuce, fine, more than we could eat; onions grown 
from sets, small but salisfaclory ; cabbage, some early, plenty of the late variety. Beets, 
rarrots, turn.ps, poor, we don't care for them anyway. Italian Spinach, good; radishes. 
White Icicle, good. Waleimelons, small but very sweet, over one hundred from a tiny 
patch. Summer squash, fine; sweet peppers, "measly." Hubbard Squash, my pride, the 
best in the neighborhood. Have put away 36 fine ones and have a lot of little ones for 
present use off a plot 14xl'5 ft. My sweet corn was an afler-thought, planted in a poor 
spot with numerous stumps to break the rows, but it afforded us a good many messes of 
small but sweet ears. But it proved one thing to me, and that is there is nothing in this 
cry about having acclimated corn. I bought corn from four sources and planted it all 
practically the same day. Yours, Mr. Field, grown in Iowa, came up and ripened long 
before the California variety. Golden Bantam was the kind I used. 

I considered my garden a success, because I accomplished what I started out to do, 
supplying my family with fresh vegetables for the entire summer and with some left over 
for the "rainy days." 

I almost forgot to mention my flowers. I planted them in beds along with vegetables, 
that was my only ground available, and they were and are still lovely. Also, incidentally, 
along with this gardening I did all my housework, washing, ironing, etc. 

Mrs. James Patterson, Burnt Ranch, Cal 



78 THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



A GARDEN WORTH SEEING. 

From Frederick Fite, Parkton, Maryland. 

The seed I got from you is all O. K. Every one came up in my garden. Potatoes were 
a failure here, but tomatoes yielded a fine crop. Everything in my garden, with the exception 
of sweet and Irish potatoes are first-class. I am very sorry I am not able to send you a photo- 
graph of my things I raised. I can recommend no seed as highly as yours for it is unsur- 
passed, also the flower seed is fine. I have a nice bunch of flowers in my garden, and every- 
body that sees them is surprised. I will get my seed from you next year, if I live, also a 
good many of my friends will get of you. 

Frederick Fite, Parkton, Maryland. 

SHOULD PLANT MORE STRAWBERRIES. 

From Ora Carter, Lyndonville, Vermont. 

My garden is 50x100 feet and my strawberry bed is 50x50 feet. I raised all we could 
eat for a family of nine, and I sold $3.50 worth of vegetables. Raised 206 quarts of straw- 
berries and sold $17.00 
worth. Our market here 
is not very good for sell- 
ing vegetables, but I can 
sell all the strawberries I 
have. They pay me best. 
I think I could have done 
better had it not been for 
the drouth. 

1 got me a camera in 
the spring, but in some 
way I could not make it 
work so I have no photo- 
graphs. I took first prize 
All hands and the boss picking straw Dcmes at the children's garden 

class fair for best vege- 
table garden, and my brother also to«k a prize. I will send you the paper so you may see 
for yourself. 

Miss Ora Carter, Lyndonville, Vermont. 

HERE'S HOW HATTIE GOT AHEAD OF THE BUGS. 

From Hattie Case, Bremer, Iowa. 

My garden is 40 feet wide and 1 75 feet long, not counting a strip by the fence for 
a walk. It was all covered with a well rotted stable manure, and after the grain was in, 
the men plower' it quite deep, then harrowed it until it was as mellow as an ash heap. 
Then they hitched to the harrow and standing on the double tree, in that way planted the 
whole garden. I did not plant it all in a day or a week even. As soon as anything came 
up I went through it with a hoe. 

I set out early tomato plants between the rows of early peas. The other tomatoes, I 
planted the seed in hills, and as they grew pulled out all but one plant in a hill. 

The striped bugs got after the melon and cucumber vines, and I got after the bugs. 
I took wood ashes and put in enough kerosene to make them damp, then put a little on 
each plant. I had no more trouble with the bugs. The blister beetles wanted to take every- 
thing in the garden. These I scalded in hot water, pinched off their heads, stepped on them, 
and killed them any way I could. For the cabbage worm, I put a teaspoon full of Lewis 
Lye in a pail of water. I sprinkled the plants with this several times in a season. 

I had a fine garden, took a display down to our County Fair and got a prize on it. 
I cannot tell which paid the best, as we eat all we can of what we raised, some we give 
to friends, and a little we sell. I believe we are enjoying our salsify the most just now. 

Everything not killed by the hail was very nice. We ate tomatoes by the peck, and 
I have fifty-one quarts canned. I sold nine nice large heads of cauliflower and quite a 
few squashes. We ate our last watermelon Oct. 23rd. A good garden is sure a fine thing. 

Hattie Case, Bremer, Iowa. 




THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 79 



A BUSHEL OF BEANS FROM 14 HILLS. 
From B. J. Schaerer, Ronan, Montana. 

I want to fell you of the success I had with the seeds I purchased from you. The four 
pounds of Red River Early Ohios yielded 43 lbs. of large round potatoes, but had the 
ground been in proper shape would have received double the amount. 

From fourteen hills of Missouri Wonder Pole beans planted in the same field without 
poles or trellises, I got over a bushel of large beans. The radishes grew to mammoth size. 
I pulled one that measured 15 inches long. The carrots yielded 90 lbs. out of four rows 
eight feet long. The melons did exceedingly well, but were planted too late. Some of 
my beets measured more than 15 inches in circumference, and turnips as large as a one 
gallon fish bowl. These were all grown on dry farming. I think the yield was remarkable. 

B. J. Schaerer, Ronan, Montana. 

THE BEST GARDEN IN NOOKSACK VALLEY. 
From Ed. M. Williams, Deming, Washington. 

I have tried my best to get my garden photographed, but met with failure. However, 
I did not fail with my garden. I have at the present lime one pumpkin that will no doubt 
weigh 50 lbs. My mangles will, I believe, average 4 lbs. each. Cucumbers and pumpkins 
had to be replanted owing to the three weeks' cold, drizzly rain rotting the seed in April. 
Everyone passing on the road admired the garden and the pretty flowers. Planting a 
garden close to a highway is a good incentive for doing one's best in the garden. 

I believe we have the best garden in this part of the Nooksack Valley, and can, I be- 
lieve, furnish ample proof of that fact. I had no help but did the work alone, and we 
had to drop work in the garden when the hay was ready for cutting. 

My garden plot is 4cOx270 feet. 

Ed. M. V/lLLiAMS, Deming, Washinglon. 



9./■'^ 



■.>>-,/ 




% 



.ii'/k- -^Z- 












mM' 



Jt^n 



■tfj^ 



"♦*/ . 



Kentucky Wonder Beans on bamboo poles 

A GOOD IDEA. 

From Mrs. Nora Moore, Mt. Moriah, Arkansas. 

1 cullivate as near level as possible in droulhy country, because the plants stand hot weather 
so much better than on beds. I have tried both ways. 

Mrs. Nora Moore, Ml. Moriah, Arkansas. 



80 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



PLENTY OF GARDEN STUFF AT CLEARWATER. 

From Mrs. J. W. Lupfer, Clearwater, Nebraska. 

My garden met with bad luck all the way through. It was taken by the cut worms and 

chinch bugs the first of the season, and then the 
drought, and then hail. So you see I didn't 
have much chance to win. 

I had about three quarters of an acre. Had 
seventeen rows of potatoes, and have had them 
to eat since the middle of July, and have enough 
to last two weeks yet. Had about two loads of 
watermelons, but not very large ones. Will have 
about 50 or 60 small heads of cabbage. Plenty 
of tomatoes. Have gathered about two bushel of 
Cherry tomatoes. Had plenty of peas, and have 
nearly one-half bushel dry. Had about three 
bushel of onions after eatmg from them since 
the seventh of May, and will have plenty of 
set for another year. Had about 100 musk- 
melons. Also a few flowers. 

I hoed my garden over four times, and hand 
weeded my onions and small garden once a 
week. I hope I will have better luck with gar- 
dening next year. 

Mrs. J. W. Lupfer, Cleanvater, Nebrasl^a. 




She is just looking at Mamma's flowers. 

Wouldn't think of picking them— 

especially if closely watched 



A VERY SMALL GARDEN BUT A GOOD ONE. 
From Levi Parson, Griffin, Indiana. 

I have had a fine garden for the season. The size of my garden is about 10x11. The 
best I raised this year was beets. They were fine size. The tomatoes and lettuce was fine 
also. Radishes were no good at all. I laid it to the season. The cucumbers were fine. 

I got a question to ask you. Do you know of anything that will keep the worms off of 
cabbage ? 

Levi Parsons, Criffin, Indiana. 




THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



81 



THE TALK OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. 

From Wm. C. Davis, Bridgeton, New Jersey, R. No. 3, Box 54. 

My garden consists of one acre. My first planting is in February. I plant peas, if the 
ground is not frozen, and 
then in March I put in 
onions, beets, radishes, 
lettuce, and sow cabbage 
for early plants. 1 have 

had peas up eight inches _„_ , tg^^^^^^^a^^t ;^^^ » 

high and covered with ■JHlHHHli^^^^^^^^^HPR&^S^j, 
snow, but the cold and 
snow does not effect the 
early peas. Sow the 
Alaska for early and use 
Field's seeds. After these 
crops are gathered, the 
same ground is prepared 
and set in Golden Self 
Blanching celery, making 
two crops per year from 

the same ground. On the A garden tnat paid loi iieing well tended 

balance of that strip I 

plant Lima beans, bush and pole, set tomatoes, peppers, plant sugar corn, string beans, squash, 
cucumbers and cantaloupes. 

My garden is the talk and admiration of the neighborhood. My most profitable crops 
are strawberries, cabbage and cantaloupes. I use manure broadcast and high grade fertilizer 
in the row. I raise two crops of each with the exception of strawberries. 

Those Field's Daisy cantaloupes. I have been gardening 45 years, and they are away 

ahead of all others. 

Wm. C. Davis, Bridgelon, New jersey. 




$125.00 FROM A HALF ACRE. GOOD. 

From Mrs. W. J. Daugherty, Henry, Nebraska 

The first thing to do is to plow deep and harrow thoroughly in the fall, if possible, 

aiid scatter well rotted manure over 
it. By doing this, the ground is 
in shape for early planting. 

My garden of one-half acre 
was planted to the following: 
One-eighth acre in onions, the bal- 
ance in cabbage, tomatoes, peas, 
beans, beets, lettuce, turnips and 
carrots. I raised at least 50 bushel 
of onions worth $1.00 per bu.; 
about 3000 lbs. of cabbage, which 
sells here from a cent and a half 
lo three cents a pound, and 10 or 
15 bushels of tomatoes worth $2.00 
per bu. here. This would amount to about $125.00 from one-half acre of ground, not 
counling the other vegetables at all. and besides my garden was not planted till the 10th 
of May, which was very late for onions. Next year I shall try and plant them in March 

or April. 

I use the Planet Jr. garden tools, which I find a great help. In fact, I would not do 
without them. The se?ds were bought of Henry Field, and 1 find them fine in qualily and 
quantity. I tried Field's Early June tomatoes which are excellent and just as they are 

represented. , i i i i i 

When my garden was in the nicest stage for faking photographs, there came a terrible 
hail storm, beating it up so badly, I did not get any pictures. Therefore my letter will 
have to be sent in void of any photographs. 

Mrs. W. J. Daugherty, Henry, Nebraslia. 




1% acre Onion field which yielded S58 sacks— about 125 lbs. each 



82 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



SHE USES THE IRON AGE DRILL AND WHEEL HOE. 

From Mrs. Harvey Griffith, Milledgeville, Illinois. 

A few years ago my garden was a ba.n yard. It had been cultivated for two years, 
so the soil was in ideal condition for a good garden crop. I do not grow vegetables for 
market, but want an abundance for home use and just sell the surplus. 

My early cabbage, leltuce, radishes, onions and peas were grown in a corner of the yard. 
They only did fairly well. The dry weatSer injured l-iem. 

The piece of ground for my garden pro^^r is a'_o_t e-ghty-five feet long and thirty feet 
wide. I planted everything in long rows, and used a small garden plow, that boon to women 

gardeners for cultivating. 
I had one row of toma- 
toes, one row of bush 
beans, peppers and egg 
plant. One row of pole 
Lim.as, one row of pole 
beans, one row beets, 
four rows of late cab- 
bage, a row of cucum- 
bers and three rows of 
Golden Bantam sweet 
corn. Then I had a 
corner about seventy-five 
feet square planted to 
watermelons, muskmelons, 
pumpkins and squashes, 
and one short row of 
parsnips made the whole 
of my garden. 

And such a garden. Sweet corn ready for the table the last of June. Some of the 
early kind planted July tenth made fine roasting ears as late as October fourteenth. The 
tomatoes, peppers and egg plants yielded more than we could use and some were sold. 
1 also sold about a bushel of cucumbers. Some of the peppers were four inches in diameter, 
and one egg plant was eighteen and one-half inches around. 

The watermelons and muskmelons were fair and the squash and pumpkins extra good. 
I have almost a wagon load of the two together. The bush beans were rather poor, but 
the limas were good. I have about a peck of shelled limas, and also about a peck of 
the pole beans shelled, after using ail we could before they got too old. The Kentucky 
Wonder, Missouri Wonder and Golden Cluster Wax beans were planted at one time. 
The Kentucky Wonder were the first to ripen with the Missouri Wonder a close second, 
and there is still an abundance of the Golden Cluster Wax. 

My cabbage, the Volga, is the best I have ever raised. Such nice sized heads and 
so white, sweet and crisp. The cabbage, with the parsnips, squashes, beans and canned 
tomatoes and corn will mean vegetables on the family bill of fair until spring, and used 
with the potatoes that were raised out of the "Garden" will make the grocery bills small. 

Mrs. Harvey Griffith, Milledgeville, Illinois. 










Kesulis shown iu August 



HOW WAS THIS FOR A 6-FOOT SQUARE GARDEN. 

From Miss Mabel Smith, Northboro, Iowa. 

My garden is 6 feet square each way. It is on low ground where it is very good soil. 
It has a kind of a low sandy ground. I made a ditch to drain the water off so it would not 
go on the garden. 

I planted my garden May 8, 1911. I look my hands and pulled the weeds and kept it 
clean all the time. I gave some vegetables to others and used some at home. The sales were 
$1.05. The tomatoes did better than any other things. They produced a gallon each day 
and were very large. The beans were very fine, too. I got them and put them in a buckel 
and brought them to the house and ate them. The beans were not very large because the ants 
bothered them. I put ashes on them and they quit, but did not grow after that. They were 
not large at all. 

Miss Mabel Smith, Northboro, lorva. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



83 



YOU CAN GROW ALMOST ANYTHING IN MISSOURI. 

From Charles Lang, Fredericksburg, Missouri. 

I am going to write you about my garden. Last year in November I plowed my land, 
but I did not harrow it. In the spring 1 disked it and harrowed it and planted peanuts, but 
during the drouth they suffered a great deal. I hoed them often to keep the ground loose. 
I have dug some of them, but the rest are in the ground yet. There are many nuts on a vine. 
I will not sell them but will keep them for my own use. 

I set out 420 tobacco plants, but it was a bad year for tobacco and I replanted them often. 
The worms were pretty bad, I picked them off three times a week. The tobacco is gathered 
and hung in the shed to dry. When it is dry, I will sell it at I 5c to 20c a pound. I expect 
to make about $25.00 out of it. 

Charles Lang, FrctJcricf^shurg, Missouri. 



MISSOURI TO THE 
FRONT AGAIN. 

From 
Mrs. Jennie Brannam, 

RaYMONDVILLE, MlSSOURL 

I have the finest toma- 
toes, cabbage, corn, beans 
and parsnips and everything 
that is good to eat, and I 
have the only good garden 
in Texas County, Missouri. 
Have plenty of tomatoes for 
myself and neighbors and 
cabbage to sell. My neigh- 
bors all say they will order 
with me next season, for 
they see it don't pay to get 
old seeds. 

I have plenty of proof 
that I have a fine garden 
and lovely flowers, too. 

Mrs. Jennie Brannam, 
Ra'^mondville, Missouri. 




Spencer Sweet Peas 7 It. tall in New Mexico 



VOLGA CABBAGE PAID BEST. 

From Dewitt C. Ladue, Darien. Connecticutt. 

I only have a garden for my own use, nothing for market. The dimensions of my 
garden are about 100 feet long and fifty feet wide. I plant in long straight rows running 
north and south and cultivate with the Iron Age hand cultivator. 

We have had four straight summers including this one of severe drought. I am alirost 
discouraged as to a garden any more. However, I cannot think of being whipped, so will 
try harder than ever the coming season with the hope of being favored with more rain. 

My plan is to wait fill the ground is right, then plow a narrow strip and plant the 
same day with good seed. I am not disappointed in getting things up nicely, but the 
excessive dry weather has played havoc with gardens here this season 

The Banner potato is truly a great potato, withstanding drourl remarkably well. I 
plowed up the old strawberry bed after fruiting and set out Volga Cabbage plants. This is 
(he only thing I can brag about this year. At first, I thought th^t they were all going to 
die, if was so dry. 1 kept them alive by wetting them every evening until about the first 
of August when we began to get light rains. Well, the cabbage began to grow wonderfully 
until nearly every plant has made a fine head. I consider them the best solid heads I 
ever raised. 

Dewitt C. Ladue, Darien, Connecticutt. 



84 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



BEST GARDEN IN THE COUNTRY. 
From J. E. Redenbaugh, Burrton, Kansas. 

I was squarely in the drought section, and I think as well as my neighbors do, that I have 
the best garden in this part of the country in spite of the dry weather. My garden was not 
watered from the time the plants were set till it rained a few days ago, but constant cultiva- 
tion kepi it alive. We have now planted peas, beans, lettuce, radishes and turnip seed for 
late garden. We have had several messes of roasting ears, crowder peas, tomatoes, sweet 
potatoes, and cucumbers by ihe bushel, besides the early garden, such as peas, radishes, lettuce 
and onions f'om the seeds you sent. 

We would like some good remedy to kill worms on cabbage that you could recommend. 

J. E. Redenbaugh, Burrton, Kansas. 



A GOOD GARDEN IN SPITE OF DRY WEATHER. 

From C. W. Chiles, Climbing Hill, Iowa. 

I have a half an acve in ga-den wSirh I put in and tended as follows: I think it a 

good plan to have the ga.den plowed in fail and in the spring. Just before planting, cultivate 

or disc good and harrow 
,' down smooth, but as I 

did not get my garden 
plowed last fall I plowed 
it in the spring, harrowed 
it down smooth. 

I purchased one bush- 
el of onion sets, which, 
when set out, made twen- 
ty rows across the garden 
18 inches apart. Next to 
onions I planted six rows 
early sweet corn. When 
I get one row of any 
kind of seed planted, I 
stick a slick at each end 
of the rows, and on these 
sticks I write the name 
of the seed planted, so I 

can tell just wnere the row is and what was planted in it. I planted all kinds of garden on 

across in the other rows. We tended it mostly with a common garden hoe, and I think 

there is nothing that beats it for all around garden work. 

As the dry weather struck us here, our garden is not at all what it would have been, 

had we had a good year, but it is fine any way. 

C. W. Chiles, Climbing Hill, lorua. 




Sweet corn, $3 .ou suid iiom a space i 7x250 it. , less than 1-6 of an acre 



WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY. 
From Mrs. B. S. Duncan, Seaton, Illinois. 

I believe where there is a will there is a way, and there are so many people who could 
if they would furnish their children better and healthier food than feeding them on 
canned goods. 

Our place consists of four lots 60x120 feet. The house, lawn, barn, chicken yards 
fruit and garden occupy three-fourths of it. A twelve foot driveway runs through the- 
remainder. A four foot wire fence divides the garden into three portions, one combined 
with the fruit garden. In this one we planted our early garden stuff, onions, peas, beans, 
beets, spinach, lettuce, radishes, cucumbers and early potatoes. We just used it in the 
family. We had an abundance and it was fine. When we had used the garden stuff and 
picked the small fruit, we turned sixty White Orpington chicks in to forage. 

In July we planted beans, radishes and lettuce and had delicious eating from them. We 
have a fine crop of turnips here, too. Along the driveway on one side, we planted sweet 
peas and climbing nasturtiums, and on the other side, Henry Field's Pole beans. They 
climbed the wire, furnishing shade, flowers and food. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 83 




Now from something less than two lots, we have had an abundance of all vegetables 
for the summer, have four bushels of potatoes, eight of turnips, twenty of carrots, two 
of beets. Have canned twenty quarts of peas, beans and corn, forty of tomatoes, and 175 
of fruit, and have three barrels of apples for winter use, and have several hundred dollars' 
worth of fine chickens. 

Mrs. B. S. Duncan, Seaton, Illinois. 

IF YOU ARE TROUBLED WITH CABBAGE WORMS READ THIS. 
From Mrs. Frank Downing, Gravity, Iowa. 

I had a dandy good early garden, plenty of onior.s, lettuce enough lo almost supply the 
neighborhood. I also had plenty of early peas and radishes. They were iine and lots 
of them. We planted about a half an acre 
of late garden north of the corn field. Well, 
we kepi this free from weeds, and I believe 
it was the finest looking garden in the neigh- 
borhood, but when it -turned off so dry and 
the hot winds begun lo blow, we became dis- 
couraged and thought we wasn't going to raise 
anything. But being north of the corn field, 
we believe it was protected from the hot 
winds, for it stood the drought fine, and 
when the fall rains begun, how it did grow. 
It wasn't long until we could pick beans by 
the bushel. We raised more beans than we 
ever did before, and my late sugar corn was Some good cabbage and Japanese radishes 

fine and lots of it. I also had lots of tomatoes 
and sold them for $1.50 per bushel, and lots of cabbage which sold for 4J/2C per lb. 

I will tell you how I treat my cabbage to keep the worms off. First, I take about a 
pint of salt to three gallons of water, then I spray my cabbage with this. Then in a few 
days while the dew is on in the morning, I go after it again, using flour and cayenne pepper. 
I use about a 5c box of pepper io a quart of flour. I believe this protected my cabbage 
from the worms. 

I also raised plenty of cucumbers, muskmelons, watermelons, and in fact everything that 
goes to make a good garden. We never raised a better garden. 

Mrs. Frank Downing, Gravity, loxoa, R. No. 3. 

PRETTY GOOD FOR A NINE YEAR OLD. 

From Martha Bruder, Atkinson, Nebraska. 

I live on a farm ten miles northeast of Atkinson. I am nine years old, and am going 
to school now. My garden consists of about an acre of ground. After the seed was all 
planted, then began the fight to keep down the weeds and the insects away. About every 
eight or ten days papa went through between the rows with a one horse cultivator, and I 
followed up and pulled all the weeds out of the rows, also picking off all bugs and worms. 

We have lots more truck than we can use, and as there is no sale for such truck this 
year, there is lots going to waste. The cabbage an onions will sell fairly well. I sold 
four heads of cabbage and got 15 cents apiece for them. I have left in the garden two 
hundred and fifty good big heads. Some will weigh ten pounds. If I get 15 cents apiece 
for them, will get $38.10 for my cabbage crop. Papa said he thought the onions would 
yield about 100 bushels. If I get $1.50 per bushel they will bring me $150.00. Will not 
try to sell any of the rest of the crop. Papa said we will use what we can and give the 
rest away to the neighbors. 

I had no expenses, as my papa furnished the seed and land for what vegetables we used. 
I guess he just did that to get me lo work better. My onions were too thick to make very 
big onions. We always planted t'^em pretty thick because they never would come up 
very good. This year, we got our seed from Mr. Fields, and I guess every bit of it came up. 
That is why we got our onions so thick. 

My peanuts are fine. Wa will get about enough lo eat all winter. I pulled up two 
hills and got enough peanuts to fill a half gallon buck. They can be raised as easy as 
any crop. It is great fun for us kids to dig our peanuts. Papa said everybody ought to 
have their kids a little patch of ground to plant to peanuts. 

Miss Martha Bruder, Ail(inson, Nehrail(a. 



86 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



VERY SORRY THAT FRED FORGOT TO GIVE US HIS ADDRESS. 

From Fred J. Bates. 

My garden consists of about 30 square rods planted in rows about 42 inches apart, so 

they could be cultivated by horse power. You may think this a small amount for a farm, 

but it supplied our table 
with all we wanted in 
the season. 

I always plant my 
peas thick, use plenty of 
seed, as they come up 
quicker and stronger 
than when planted thin 
and it saves lots of work 
in weeding. Being wide 
in the rows they will 
stand planting thicker. 

Lima Bean s — It 
would have done you 
good to have seen those 
beans. We have a fam- 
ily of six and had four 
carpenters and other 
help, but they supplied 

us with beans for more than three weeks until frost cut them down. 

"We had the largest, sweetest melons we ever raised. We had three kinds, medium to 

very large. We fed the carpenters twice a day for three weeks, gave them to our neighbors, 

then lots of them spoiled on the ground. The box carpenter thought we had about an acre. 

When he saw them, he wanted to know where the rest of them were. 

Tomatoes — Field's Early June did the best, and we had all we could use and gave 

away bushels to our neighbors. Just before frost, I piled them up, brought some of them 

in the house and we had tomatoes until after Thanksgiving. Early Cabbage — About fifty 

head. They did well, large fine heads and plenty for our own use. 

Taking it all together with dry weather and bugs, we did well. I can see where I 

could improve on everything I planted by replanting as fast as the early thmgs were up. 

My boys say that our garden was worth more than one hundred dollars, and I think they 

are about right, besides having things when we wanted them. 

Fred J. Bates. 




A load of truck ready tor the market Sept. 4th, 1911. Sold for $19.45 



HOPES TO DO BETTER NEXT YEAR. 

From Mrs. W. M. Hawkins, Glen Rose, Texas. 

We just planted a small garden for home use, but raised more than we could eat. Would 
have done better, but this has been a dry year in Texas. 

Here is a list of what we sold: 
s $7.40 



Onions 
Peas . 

Lettuce 
Turnips 



Beans $5.80 

4.05 Cabbage 2.60 

.20 Radishes 30 

.60 Tomatoes 2.80 



Sold in all $23.75 worth, besides what a family of nine could eat all the lime. I hope 
to do better next year. 

Mrs. W. M. Hawkins, Clen Rose, Texas. ■ 



MUCH DEPENDS ON THE WEATHER. 

From Mrs. Fannie Bush, Nelson, Nebraska. 

My garden is entirely burned up. I had an abundance of radishes until the dry weather 
set in and they got so hot and strong we had to pull them up and throw them away. 

Mrs. Fannie Bush, Nelson, Nehraska. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 87 



A TON OF BEANS FROM SEVEN-EIGHTHS OF AN ACRE. 
From B. S. Martin, Brownsville, Oregon. 

Last spring I plowed up seven-eighths of an acre of rush sod, and on June lOlh planted 
the same to White Mexican sweet corn and Improved Missouri Wonder pole beans, both 
bought of you. We sold one ton of green beans at an average of three cents per pound, 
besides supplying our own table for three months. We canned five thousand ears of corn, 
sold one hundred dozen ears at 10 cents per dozen, besides having all we could use during 
the season. 

I have given considerable attention to pole bean raising for several years, and have 
grown your Missouri Wonder for seven or eight years and can truthfully say the same 
stands at the head of all of the varieties I have ever grown. Besides growing the above 
corn and beans, we grew on the same land some Big Tom Pumpkins, which are the pride 
of my four little boys. 

B. S. Martin, Brownsville, Oregon. 

A GARDEN WHICH PAID. 
From Lola Gott, Blountville, Tennessee. 

There is about one-third of an acre in my garden. 1 had one-half of it plowed last 
fall, and the remamder was plowed in the spring. The garden was harrowed with a drag 
harrow, and was then laid off in 
rows three feet apart, except where 
I had my onion bed. I laid it off 
with a hoe, rows only 18 inches 
apart. There were 18 rows 30 feet 
long. The bed yielded nine bushels. 
I sold $2.00 worth and 6J/2 bushels 
left. 

I planted fen rows of Burpee's 
Stringless Bunch beans. The rows 
were about 65 feet long. They 
yielded very abundantly and paid 
me belter than any vegetable I ever 
raised. Sold twenty bushels besides 
the number of bushels we ate. The 
first I sold at $2.40 per bu. and 
the last at 50c per bu. Then I 
planted corn between the rows July A well kept gai den 

10th and raised a fine lot of late 

corn and some good fodder, too. I only planted 100 hills of the Golden Rod Pole beans, 
and about the same Creaseback Pole beans. These bore more than we could eat and will 
want for seed. 

I had eight rows 35 feet long of tomatoes. They bore abundantly. Besides the many 
bushels which rotted, I sold ten bushels and used 30 bushels. 

Lola Gott, Blountville, Tennessee. 



HAD POTATOES WEIGHING A HALF POUND AT MT. PLEASATvfT. 

From Elizabeth Junick, Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. 

My garden is about an acre. I sow my tomato seed in a bed, and I put in a little salt 
to keep the insects away. When about four inches tall I plant them out, hoe them for a while, 
and have a very good crop, some weighing as high as one pound. I treat the ground for 
cabbage about the same as I do tomatoes. 1 had some weighing 15 to 20 lbs. I plant potatoes 
in rows two feet apart, hoe about them about thiee times, and had some weighing about a 
half pound. 

Elizabeth Junick, Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania. 




88 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



SUCCESS WITH WATERMELONS IN MAINE. 

From Mrs. Mary S. Allen, Litchfield, Maine. 

As the watermelons have got ripe and been gathered, I have got a little something to say 

now about the Princess watermelons. 

They beat everything I ever saw in the line of melons. They are somethmg fine. I raised 

from 20 seeds, 27 melons in all. I did not 
have as good a chance as I would have 
liked, but made it answer. There are 
trees around the garden so it was shaded 
some, but my melons were fine and there 
has been more than a hundred people to 
see them. 

Boston people camped on our shore and 
my garden has been a great sight for 
them. I had a picture taken of my melons 
when I was working in them. I had some 
as big as 20 inches around each way, and 
several were 1 7'/2 and 18 inches around, 
and so sweet and nice. The biggest one 
weighed 5 pounds. 

I have learned how to plant them here 
in Maine. I made little paper boxes about 
as big as a tumbler, and filled with dirt. 
I made the boxes of thick paper pinned 
together with toothpicks. I planted the 
seeds in them in April and kept them in 
the house in boxes and set them out doors 
the first week in June. 

They were a surprise to the people 
here. They are sweeter than any other 
melon I ever ate and the grain is so fine. 

Well, I don't know as I can say any 
more to make it any stronger or to explain 
how pleased I am with my melons. If I 
am able to plant and care for a garden 
another year I shall raise some more of 
them, but I don't know how that will be 
for I am 69 years the 5th of last July, so it 
is uncertain with me, but the younger ones 
Mrs. Mary S. Allen, and her ■ 'Princess" Watermelons can learn from my experience. 

I am sending you one of the pictures. I think they are fine. You will see that the melons 
were so large that it was all I could do to hold them in my hands. The one in my right hand 
is a bit the biggest. 

Maybe some have done better than I have, but there is none that has tried harder than ll 
have, and it ain't very easy to raise garden here on the Maine shore. 

Mary S. Allen, Litchfield, Maine. 




$20.00 WORTH ON A 50x60 GARDEN. 

From P. E. Dodds, Minco, Oklahoma. 

I bought a plot of ground; fenced it with woven wire 60x50. I then planted a lafe garden. 
I watered it every week, hoed it twice and hilled it up well for dry weather. I then bought a 
hose after 1 had got it all hilled up well, turned loose water enough to wet the ground good, 
and it slayed damp a long time. 1 raised $20.00 worth of vegetables besides all I kept for the 
family use, as I have four little ones to keep and maintain. I have showed over 100 people 
my garden. I cannot get pictures of my garden, as there is no photographer. 

P. E. DoDDS, Minco, Oklahoma. 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 89 




The grape patch 

From Chas. Bruns, Garnett, Kansas. 
Mr. Henry Field, Shenandoah, Iowa. 

Dear Sir: — After reading your cheerful, encouraging, friendly letlers and catalog we feel 
as if you were our "real and truly friend" as the children say. For years we have been 
buying our seeds from others. We got good seeds and good results, but we never experienced 
a feeling of friendship towards them as we do towards you — I wonder why. We certainly 
do get splendid results from your seeds. Mr. Field, 1 wish you could have seen my garden 
last spring, summer and fall. I had a bountiful supply of "garden sass"' from Easter till killing 
frost time. We experienced a hard and very trying drought, but I had a fine garden. The 
only one in this neighborhood at that. My neighbors hung over my garden fence and shook 
their heads and wondered how 1 did if. I sold cabbage, cucumbers (slicers), tomatoes in 
July, early part at lOc a lb., and no garden stuff in town but what was shipped in. Those 
Early June tomatoes are simply immense. 

The Lima did fine too, but the hot, high winds were too much for them. Well, I cannot 
take time to mention each vegetable separately, but take my word for it it was simply a marvel 
how they stood that terrible drought. 

Thanks for your personal interest, your truthful catalog, your help in all ways. Your well 
wishing patrons, 

Chas. and Mrs. Bruns. 



From John Travers, Londenberg, Pennsylvania. 

Dear Mr. Field: — I am sending you a small order at this lime just to get my hot-bed started. 

You wrote me a very helpful letter last year. I have profited by your advice. That's 
what helps a fellow when failure makes him discouraged. Thanks. 

I planted Mixed Mammoth pumpkins and so forth the 28lh of June last year. I thought I 
was too late, but Gee Whiz, you should have seen them, lots and lo!s of them of all kinds and 
all sizes. With best wishes, 

John Travers. 



90 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



From H. O. Clayton, Spencer, Nebraska. 

Mr. Henry Field, Shenandoah, Iowa. 

Dear Sir: — You sent me a new catalog and you want a letter so here goes. You say 
you had a good year and I am glad of it. It has been entirely different with me. All of the 
seed ordered from you were first-class m every way. We had a fine garden, the first one in 
three years and had that in the most unfavorable year of the three. I think it was the good seed. 

The bushel of corn I ordered was O. K. I had a fine stand and it grew about three feel 
taller than my other corn, but the first of July we had drouth and hot wind so that no corn 
made much and of a poor quality. I think that the corn under ordinary conditions would 
mature here. 

Now I want to know what you thmk about it, or if you would suggest some other variety? 
The corn I had was Shenandoah Special. I don't for a minute lay my failure to your corn 
for owing to the season, I don't see how we raised anything. 

H. O. Clayton. 

From A. C. Harford, Chicago, Illinois. 

Henry Field Seed Co., Shenandoah, Iowa. 

My Dear Field: — Two years ago I bought a quantity of grass and alfalfa seed of you. 
My neighbor bought his of a local dealer. Our fields adjoined each other; the ground was 
prepared in identically the same manner; the alfalfa was sowed the same day and put in the 
ground the same way. Both pieces were a good stand and one could see no difference in them. 
Both fields were cut the same day, July 6th. My field was cut twice after that, both cuttings 
yielding fine crops of hay. His died before it was large enough to cut the second time. 

There has been a great deal of speculation as to the cause of his failure. I have always 
thought that the trouble must have been in the seed, and while I paid $5.00 more per 100 lbs. 
than he did, I ha\e always been satisfied with my bargain. Have you ever heard of alfalfa 
seed turning out this way before? 

Thanking you for past favors and assuring you of my future business, I am, 

Very truly yours, 

A. C. Harford. 




j5 aitterent varieties oi vegetables gatheted Sept. I6th 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



91 




Planting potatoes July I4tli 



From W. L. Dale, Bassett, Nebraska. 

Mr. Henry Field, Shenandoah, Iowa. 

Dear Sir: — The seed corn of Order No. received and tested. It is all O. K. Only one 
grain in tester that did not start. Am well pleased. Will order my garden seed later 

Very truly, 

W. L. Dale. 

From Anna Pivoda, Grafton, Illinois. 

Mr. Field. 

Dear Sir: — 1 sent to you last year for a collection of garden seed. I cannot recall just 
what they all were, but anyway I made a success of my garden; especially with the Early 
June tomato and the Prmcess watermelon. I picked my first tomato on the 25th day of June, 
and my first watermelon on the 5th day of July; when at the same time my neighbors had no 
gardens at all, claiming the dry season caused if. I said to them that if didn't rain more on 
my garden than if did on theirs, but told them I had Fields Garden Seed which gave me 
fair crops in spite of the drought. 

I am again sending you a small order trusting I'll have as much success in 1912 as 1911 
proved. Yours respectfully, 

Anna Pivoda. 

From Clovis Jauron, Salix, Iowa. 

Henry Field Seed Co., Shenandoah, Iowa. 

Dear Sirs: — About three years ago I sent for some of your Cornplanter corn and after 
trying it one season became convmced that it was a mighty fine corn but last year I had 
about twenty acres and if yielded fifty-three bushels, whereas my Silvermine only yielded me 
forty-two. 

These two varieties were in ground that had been in corn for the last thirty years and what 
is called "Corned to death. " 

This year I am going to put in about forty acres. I have sold to date 48 bushels of the 
Cornplanter and made $96.00 out of same. I claim it is the only corn for poor run down 
farms and that is the kind I am renting, but it won't long be that way. I am building it up 
every year. 

(Signed) Clovis Jauron. 



92 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



WHAT AN AMATEUR ACCOMPLISHED WITH A SMALL GARDEN. 
From James Kibbee, 907 Broadway, Portland, Oregon. 

Last fall we moved to a new location In the city, from a suburban home, and the city loj 
seemed very small and cramped to us. I had a strong case of back to t'ne soil" fever running in 
my veins, however, and I concluded I just must have a garden; and despite the difficulties 

which loomed up, I ' goi 
busy." As fast as I goi 
a little patch subdued I 
made a little bed or row 
and planted it out. Bui; 
first I dug a six-inch 
trench all around inside 
of the four-foot chicken 
wire fence, and planted 
m the bottom of the 
trench a choice lot of 
mixed sweet peas, mak- 
ing about a hundred and 
fifty feet of them. These 
were . planted about the 
middle of March. 

Of course, the first 
plantings in my garden 
were of radishes, lettuce, 
English peas, onion sets 
and spinach. Then quick- 
ly followed the beets, 
carrots, salsify, cabbage 
and cauliflower and cel- 
ery plants and turnips; 
more radishes; more on- 
ion sets; then corn, 
beans, tomato plants, 
parsley, cucumbers, okra 
and more cabbage and 
cauliflower plants. .'\lso 
a bed outside the fence 

of flowers, such as as- 
View of garden looking north. My little grand-daughter in the garden y^^^ poppies, pansies, 

hollyhocks, petunias, cosmos, etc. My corn, cucumbers, pole beans, and some other items 
were planted in small patches on either side and at one end (outside) of the chicken yard 
fence. 

During July and August we had but little moisture from above. Then I had access to the 
city water hose, and used it as often as needed between cultivations. Of course, without this 
help from the city water my garden would not have been as productive as it has been, as we 
have had an unusually dry summer. As fast as my beds were emptied of their crops 1 
replanted them, thus getting from two to four crops off of much of my ground. 

Now, I have kept a strict record of the production of my little garden, and I am greatly 
astonished at the actual results. But still I am sure that I could by careful attention and by 
profiling by the experience gained this year, accomplish at least 50 per cent belter results next 
year. Just think of it! A plot of ground about 30x60 or 1,800 square feet, has produced 
under my amateur efforts, at the rate of over $800.00 per acre. It proves to me that If the 
owners and renters of homes in the cities and towns of this great country would only utilize 
their back yards and the vacant places all around them, which the owners would gladly give 
them the use of, this question of the high cost of living would come much nearer being solved 
than it is. 

I ordered thirty plants of Field's Senator for a starter and they sent me fifty; forty-five 
of these lived and made f.ne plants in spite of their long journey by mail. I am allowing 
only enough runners to grow to make a hundred and fifty plants in all, and next spring we 
will have all the strawberries my large family can use, and then plenty to can besides. When- 




THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



93 




This solves tbe problem of— high cost of living 

ever we have lots of strawberries, "we eat all we can, and what we can't we can;" see! For 
strawberries are our favorite fruit, and I never ate any canned strawberries like my wife can 
can. Her s have almost Ihe exact fresh flavor and color. 

To return to my garden, I must say that it has been a great factor in cutting down our 
living expenses. On July I'oth, for dinner we had delicious fresh peas, carrots, young onions, 
radishes, cucumbers, and cabbage cold slaw, or salad — could have had more items, but surely 
that was enough for one meal. 

A FEW THINGS EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT ME. 
Success in gardening depends a great deal upon having good tools and in using them. 
One of the best tools I have ever used in the garden is the common, long handled, six-lined 
potato fork (with ' round 
tines). For spading up old 
ground, for fining the soil, 
making it mellow, and for 
knocking the clods and 
turfs all to little bits of 
pieces. 

Cultivate your garden 
twice or three times where 
you water it once, and cul- 
tivate it again ^s quickly as 
you can after irrigating or 
after a rain. 

Prune your tomato plants 
and train them to stakes or 
between three stakes, set 
ihus . . around the planis, tying strong strings around the outside of stakes to hold the plants 
inside the triangle. 

The early peas did the best for me, both for earliness nad heavy yield. I like the salsify 
(or oyster plant) but I can't get my folks educated up to it. They say it's too violent a 
stretch of the imagination to call it "oyster plant" — too much of a "fake, " but I have never 
yet come across a vegetable, properly prepared that I didn't like. 




This view was taken when the carden was very young 
and is a poor picture 



94 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 



The many bouquets of flowers in our house this summer have added a charm to the home 
never before experienced, and they well repaid the little trouble and care given them. Sweet 
peas and asters keep fresh for several days if the water is changed each morning. Nasturtiums 
with plenty of the green leaves mixed with them are fine, but don't last so well. 

In planting sweet peas make a trench six or eight inches deep, and plant your seed in the 
bottom, at least one inch deep. As the plants grow, keep filling in the trench until it is level 
and then some. Keep them cultivated well, and give them a good support to climb on. Four or 
even five foot chicken wire is fine. 

Asters are one of the finest of flowers; the many new varieties are, to my notion, giving 
the chrysanthemums a close race for beauty. They are easy to grow, and a bouquet of them 
will beautify a room for several days — they keep so well. 

And the pansies; you can get more continuous performance of beauty stunts from a bed 
of pansies in a year than from any other flower that grows — far more. 

I think a great deal of your Crimson Giant radish. Your Early June tomato looks and 
tastes good to me. I had quite a patch of Earliana and Stones growing when your plants 
came, and ihs latter were delayed and arrived in bad condition. I put them out at least 
three weeks later than the others, and in spile of their condition, they ' humped" themselves 
right along, and soon caught up with the Earliana, which is some on the ' hump" itself — 
and formed and ripened their fruits as quickly and as plentifully as their more favored rivals. 

I have found that Swiss Chard is a fine substitute for spinach. But it is another stretch 
of the imagination to claim, as some of the seedsmen do, that the stalks of the plant are a 
good substitute for asparagus. 

1 attribute my comparative freedom from insect pests to the fact that I have some good 
friends as regular inhabitants of my garden — a number of birds and several frogs and toads. 
I have been careful to never scare away these friends, and I have come to believe that they 
know me, and that we are indeed, mutual friends. 

James Kibbee, 907 Broadway. Portland, Oregon. 

From Henry Jenkins, Ever, Kentucky. 

Yes, Henry, I acknowledge my error. I did not buy my garden seed of you last year 
and I am now paying the error penalty. 1 haven't got my big white cabbage heads this winter 
that I would have had if 1 had bought my seed of you, and that is not all. I fell short in 
the vegetable crop in general. 

Now about that 1912 order. 1 aim to send it in in a few days or a week at most, and if 
I need two cents worth of seeds or $200.00 worth you may look for the order. 

Yours very truly, Henry Jenkins. 



POL£ tSEAN RO^,JLED BOUGHT OF FILLP, JOLD S3.00, LftT $3,00 



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What one of my friends did with a small plot of garden 



THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND GARDENS 9^ 



His molner wrote me about it 



THE BOY WHO HAD THE BEST ACRE OF CORN IN IOWA. 
From Glen Mead, Percival, Iowa (14 years old). 

This letter was not written by Glen himself. He was loo busy being entertained at 
Washington by President Taft and the rest of the big bugs. 
and 1 am telling what I can of it her«-.- 

It was this way. Last spring 
there was a state corn growing con- 
test organized for the boys of Iowa. 
The boy who had the best acre of 
corn in each Congressional district 
was to get a free trip to Wash- 
ington. D. C. There were over 
10,000 entries. 

Glen sent to me for a bushel 
of Shenandoah Yellow corn, and 
took out of that seed to plant his 
acre. I didn't know him from 
Adam, and he didn't tell me that 
he wanted the corn for any special 
purpose, just sent in his $3.00 for 
a bushel of corn and got the regu- 
lar stock I was shipping to every- 
one. 

The first I knew about his win- 
ning the contest was along in Jan- 
uary when his mother was ordering 
garden seeds from me and wrote 
something about "Glen was so 
pleased over his corn, and was 
starting to Washington." She wrote 
that he planted the corn on some 
good rich river bottom land, on 
May 20th and it was harvested on 
Nov. 10th, by three disinterested 
farmers appointed by the contest 
board. 

After making allowance for 
shrink from moisture, the corn 
weighed out l02'/2 bushels of dry 

shelled corn from an officially measured acre. No fertilizers whatever were used, and only 
regular good farming methods of planting and tending. 

This was the best yield in this Congressio^al district and the best in the state. Good for 
Glen. It is a record to be proud of. — H. F. 

From W. L. Beckwith, Cottageville, West Virginia. 
Mr. Henry Field, Shenandoah, Iowa. 

Dear Sir: — I have received several seed catalogs from different firms this winter but it 
seems somehow that I am partial to Henry Field. I have made the remark to my wife several 
times that I would not be afraid to risk Field for seeds for I believed him to be an honest 
man, and I only wish we could clasp hands as friends for it seems to me we are friends. 
I don't know why this is without it is because what little dealings we have had has been 
strictly on the square and I do admire a man that stands on his honor. 

I will want some clover seed this spring, but it is so very high I hardly know what to say 
about it. Ought to have a half bushel. I have nine acres to sow. Thought I would write 
you for prices on Red and Mammoth clover for I believe your seeds to be pure, but I have 
had so much bad luck with clover and am hard up at present and I don't know that I will 
buy, but I wanted to write you any.way. 

Wishing ycu a successful year, I remain, yours respectfully, 

W. L. Beckwith. 




Glen Mead, Percival, Iowa. The boy who raised the best 

acre of*corn in Iowa. Over 100 bu. of com 

( Shenandoati Yellow ) on one acre 



DEC 10 1912 



The one thing to be remembered in all 
this is that these people all used seeds from 
the HENRY FIELD SEED CO. 

Although they come from practically 
every state in the Union the seeds made 
good every time. From Maine to Mon- 
tana, from Florida to California, in the 
Ozark mountains, the Oklahoma prairies, 
the pine timber land of Wisconsin and the 
sandhills of Nebraska. 

The results were the same every where— 
"The best garden in the neighborhood.'' 
Did you notice it? 

You can have the same kind of a garden. 
I will furnish the seeds to do it with. 

My catalog will tell you all about it. It 
is free for the asking and it's mighty in- 
teresting reading whether you intend to 
buy seed or not. 

Send for it. Address: 

HENRY FIELD 
SEED COMPANY 




STAR ENGRAVING & PRINTING CO. 
Des Moines, Iowa 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



000 928 284 




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